


In the woods

by LonelyAngel



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, An enemy, Everyone's gay, Fluff, Frerard, Gay, King Tyler, M/M, Middle Ages, Peterick, a gang, brallon, joshler - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-10-16 12:29:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 32,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10571331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelyAngel/pseuds/LonelyAngel
Summary: Tyler is the monarch of his kingdom. Inside, he's a little princess, a bit bitchy, a bit sassy, a bit arrogant. He has a whole room with expensive clothes and he loves luxury. He doesn't care much about his subjects. (He's not as mean as it seems).Josh lives in the woods with a bunch of other young guys. They're poor and they steal to survive. Josh thinks his king is stupid, because he doesn't like the gang and because he thinks his dungeon is the best place for them.Gerard is the leader of the gang. He loves Frank. He's best friends with Brendon, Pete and Patrick. Brendon swears. Pete is cool. Patrick is cute.Ryan is Tyler's worst enemy.But what happens, when Josh gets arrested and meets Tyler?





	1. The gang

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write an Alternative Universe fic and this is the result.  
> This fic takes place around the time peroid of the Middle Ages. So no cars, smartphones, drums etc., but I kept the ukulele.  
> I'm no history expert, but I hope I get it right.

Josh ran a hand through his brown curly hair while he walked through the forest. He was hungry, as always. He didn't have the money to buy something to eat. He was used to the hunger.

Josh didn't have anyone who cared about him. He was alone, but he didn't complain. Surviving was difficult, but he kept fighting every day.

Josh didn't know much about his king. He knew his name was Tyler Joseph, he was young (the same age as Josh) and he sat in his castle all day long and didn't care about his subjects. Josh had never seen his king. He didn't care about him. He knew he had a king who ruled his kingdom and Josh didn't need to know more. He cared about more important things. To find something to eat, for example.

Josh didn't know much about ruling, but he thought his king did a really bad job. He was rich and had all the luxury and most of the people in his kingdom were really poor.

His head jerked up when he heard someone shouting. Josh saw a boy running towards him and got knocked over. He and the boy fell down on the ground. Josh gasped for breath and tried to push the boy off. The boy was taller than him, but Josh was stronger. He flipped him around, pressed him to the ground and sat down on his back. The boy grunted as the air was pressed out of his lungs.

"Get…off me!" he yelled.

Josh grinned and grabbed his hair. "No."

The boy tried to escape Josh's grip but he failed. After a few seconds, he gave up and breathed heavily.

Josh crossed his arms, still sitting on the other's back.

"Who are you?" he asked. The boy ignored his question.

A hand grabbed Josh's collar and pulled him on his feet. Josh's eyes widened when he looked at the angry face of the guy with dark hair.

"Frank, let go."

The boy with the dark hair furrowed his brows, but let go and took a step backwards. Another boy, older than Josh, with long, black hair walked towards them, followed by a guy with brown hair and a smile on his lips. Josh was sure, the guy with the black hair was kind of the leader of the boys.

The boy who attacked Josh stood up and walked next to the black-haired boy.

"Thanks, Frank." he mumbled. The boy who had grabbed Josh's collar smiled briefly and nodded at him.

"No problem, Beebo."

Josh noticed that the four boys stood in a circle around him. He crossed his arms and bit his lip to cover his insecurity and fear.

The black-haired guy sighed. "I told you a thousends times you should wait for us, Brendon." he said.

The tall guy pointed at Josh and opened his mouth. "But we need money, Gee." he protested.

Josh looked at him. He was taller than Josh, had brown hair and a huge forehead. The black-haired boy, Gee, sighed again.

"Look at him, Brendon, he's as poor as we are, right?" he asked Josh. Josh was confused.

"What do you want from me?" he asked.

The boy next to Gee clicked with his tongue. "Money."

"Oh shut up, Pete." Gee hissed. "He doesn't need to know what we're doing."

Josh didn't understand a word. "What do you mean? You're doing…what? Who are you?"

Gee rubbed his eyes and sighed. "Seriously?" he mumbled under his breath.

"What?" Josh asked, a bit angry. He had been attacked by this guy, Brendon, and he wanted to know why.

Gee and the others laughed. "It's obviously what we're doing, isn't it?" Gee asked amused. Pete and Frank nodded.

"No, it is not!" Josh hissed. "Don't make fun of me!"

Gee raised his hands. "Wow, calm down, dude."

Josh took a deep breath. "Listen, either you tell me what you're doing or you leave me alone."

Brendon chuckled. "Never heard of "the gang"?"

Josh shook his head. "No."

"Alright. Come with us." Gee said and turned.

"Are you sure about that?" Pete asked.

Gee threw an angry look at him. "Yes, Pete. I'm sure."

The other boys followed him, when he left the path and walked through the forest. Josh stood there, confused, mouth hanging open and watched them leave.

Brendon turned around. "Come on, hurry up, motherfucker." he yelled. Josh blinked and closed his mouth. He hesitated for a moment, then he followed the boys.

 

                                                        -----

 

Tyler yawned. The sunlight filled the room with a golden light. Tyler wanted to stay in bed longer, but he had to get up and rule his kingdom. With a sigh he stood up and strechted his muscles.

The door opened and a servant walked in, a plate with breakfast in his hands. He set the plate down carefully on the table and bowed down.

"Breakfast is ready, your majesty."

Tyler nodded graciously. "Yeah, thanks, you can go now."

The servant left the room and Tyler sat down at the table. Being king had many advantages. Excellent food was one of it. He chewed happily while he thought about the things he would do today. Take a bath (he'd have to tell the servants as soons as possible, he would have to wait over an hour until all the water was heated up), write some 'important' letters, play the ukulele.

After finishing his breakfast, Tyler stood up and walked to his closet. He stared at all his clothes and chose a plain white shirt and brown leather trousers. After he changed, he heard a knock at the door.

Dallon walked into the room. He was Tyler's adviser and his friend. Dallon was tall and Tyler had to look up a bit when Dallon stood in front of him.

"Good morning."

Tyler smiled and turned.

"Hi. What's the news?"

Dallon sighed. "The usual stuff, your majesty. Ryan Ross complains about the frontiers. He still thinks the forest in the west belongs to his kingdom. And the gang is still terrorizing the roads."

Tyler growled. "These guys are so annoying. Remember last month? They stole the box with all the taxes. I wish we could catch and imprison them. I can't deal with them right now, I'm too busy with worrying about Ryan."

Dallon smiled and pattered his back. "Don't worry, Tyler."

Tyler sighed. "Sometimes I think I'm a bad king."

Dallon shook his head. "I don't think so. You're young and you try your best. Being king is a difficult task, but I'll always support you."

Tyler showed a crooked smile. "Thanks, Dallon."

Dallon turned and walked to the door.

"Hey Dallon! I want to take a bath!" Tyler yelled.

Dallon laughed. "I'm your adviser, not your servant, Tyler!" he said and left the room.

 

                                               -------

 

Josh followed the guys to a clearing. He stopped and turned around slowly. He saw a wooden cabin, a fireplace and a treehouse. Gee stopped and placed his hands on his hips.

"Here we are."

"What's that?" Josh asked.

"This…" Gee pointed at the cabin. "…is our home. Our secret hiding place."

"Why is it secret?"

Gee and the others sighed. Brendon pushed him playfully. "Sit down, story time."

Everybody sat down around the fireplace, expect for Frank. He disappeared in the cabin and came back with some food in a wooden bowl. He handed Josh the bowl and a spoon, sat down next to Gee and placed his hand on Gerard's waist. Gee kissed him on the forehead. "Thank you, sweetie."

Frank smiled. Josh didn't think it was strange to see two boys kissing. They looked happy.

He stared at the bowl in his hands. His stomach grumbled.

Gee laughed. "It's for you."

Josh started eating. Gee cleared his throat.

"Alright. What's your name by the way?"

"Josh." he mumbled, mouth filled with food.

"I'm Gerard. This is my boyfriend Frank. This is Pete. And Brendon." he pointed at the guy with the huge forehead.

Josh smiled at them.

Gerard, or Gee, crossed his legs. "So, you want to know what we're doing in the forest?"

Josh nodded.

"Well, we take the money from the rich to survive."

Josh choked on his food. "So…" he coughed. "You're thieves?"

Brendon grinned. "Yeah…but it's alright. We don't hurt anybody. We just take the things they don't need."

Josh bit on his lip. "I don't think that's okay…"

Gee shrugged. "It's justice." He smiled at Josh. "Wanna join us?"

Josh shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know…it's illegal…what if we get caught?"

"Execution." Brendon growled with a low voice and burst into laughter when Josh flinched.

"Relax, baby boy." Pete grinned. "We never got caught. And we never will. We're the good ones, believe us."

Josh scratched his head. "I don't know…"


	2. Meeting the king

Tyler took a bath. He played the ukulele. He wrote the letters. He ate lunch.

He was bored. He didn't know what to do.

Tyler decided to walk through his castle. He looked in every room. He even went to the kitchen and got some cake. He chatted with the maid, who cleaned his bedroom. She was young, with thick, black hair, grey eyes and a wonderful smile. She adored Tyler and he noticed how her eyes began to shine when he smiled at her. She tried everything to make him happy, but when he talked to her he couldn't even remember her name. Simply, he wasn't attracted to her.

Tyler wouldn't admit it, but he felt lonely. He wanted a lover. He was open-minded, he didn't care if he would fall in love with a girl or a boy, he just wanted to be _loved._

Tyler didn't notice he zoomed out, until the maid snapped her fingers.

"Your majesty? Are you still with me?"

"Uh, sorry, I…I have to go. You can clean everything, just…don't touch my uke." Tyler mumbled and left the room quickly. He was angry with himself. Why did he apologize? After all, he was the king and she was just a maid. He'd have to be more strict and intimidating. He was too nice.

"Dallon!" he yelled and walked through the hall. No response. "Dallon!"

"Stop yelling, I can hear you." Dallon appeared in the hall, a smile on his face. "What's wrong, Tyler?"

"I'm bored." Tyler snapped.

"Well, you could write new music." Dallon supposed.

Tyler crossed his arms. "No, I don't want to."

Dallon pondered. "We could go to the village."

Tyler shrugged. "Alright, let's go. I've got nothing better to do."

 

                                               ------

 

Josh sighed. "I really don't know if that's what I want to do…I mean, you're criminals."

Gerard laughed. "It's the only possibility for us to survive. Get over it."

Josh crossed his arms. "I didn't need to steal to survive."

Frank leaned forward. "What did you do?"

"I worked…I had different jobs."

"So why are you here?" Pete asked.

Josh stared at the fireplace and avoided eye contact with the boys.

"My boss was an asshole. He didn't pay me and when I asked for my payment, he said I should fuck off. I…I was so angry, I lost my temper and hit him. I broke his nose."

Pete laughed. "Really? That's awesome!"

Josh showed a crooked smile. "He was furious. He said he'd kill me. So I ran."

"Good." Gerard stood up. "Let's go."

"Where do you want to go?" Josh asked confused.

"We have some money left and I want to go to the market to buy some food."

The others stood up, too.

"But…" Josh stuttered. "You're criminals. And you're wanted, aren't you?"

Gerard shrugged. "So what?"

"You're…someone will recognize you…they will arrest you."

Brendon smiled devilishly. "So you're a coward?"

Frank raised his eyebrows. "Are you worried about us?"

"No…no, I…I…" Josh blushed.

Pete pattered his shoulder. "Don't worry. Most of the people like us, only the rich ones hate us. And we're careful."

Josh sighed. "Alrights, let's go. I've got nothing better to do."

He didn't knew he used the same words as Tyler.

 

                                               ------

 

Josh followed the Gerard and Frank through the market. They had decided to split the group because it was less suspicious.

Although Josh had eaten the food Frank had given him, he was still hungry. He eyed the booths. Gerard handed him a few coins.

"You can buy yourself something to eat." he said. Josh did and followed them, chewing happily.

Gerard stopped at booth. An old woman selled apples. He smiled when she recognized them.

"Good afternoon. How can help you?"

Gerard pointed at a bag with apples and handed the woman some coins.

"How's your nephew?" he asked.

The woman sighed. "He's fine. He's helping me so much with the harvest."

Gerard leaned forward. "We've planned a big coup the next days. We'll give you some money after it." he said barely audible.

"Good luck!" the woman whispered and smiled. Gerard nodded at her and turned.

Some people yelled something Josh couldn't understand. Gerard and Frank froze.

"What's wrong?" Josh asked.

"The king." Frank said and turned pale. Josh heard clip-clopping. Gerard handed Frank the bag with the apples.

"Go back to the camp." he said.

Frank nodded, turned and disappeared in the crowd.

"Wait for me!" Josh yelled.

Gerard walked in the other direction. Josh decided to follow him.

The crowd created space and Josh saw two men. One walked, the reins of the horses in his hands, the other sat on the back of a black horse. Josh stared at him.

The young man on the horse was beautiful. He had brown, fluffy hair, a round face and a slightly arrogant smile on his lips. Josh blinked. He couldn't stop staring at the man. Gerard walked towards the men and stopped in the middle of the street. He blocked the way, but he bowed his head to the ground. Josh stood in the crowd and watched him.

"What is he doing?" he whispered to himself.

The man who lead the horses stopped.

The gorgeous young man cleared his throat. "What are you doing? Give way!"

Gerard shook his head and looked up. The man on the horse gasped.

He opened his mouth and closed it.

Gerard smirked. "It was a pleasure to meet you, your majesty."

The king stared at him. "Dallon!" he yelled suddenly. "Arrest him!"

Gerard looked at Tyler. "Run!" he yelled and turned.

Josh hestitated for a moment, but then he turned and started to run.


	3. The robbery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not very happy with this chapter, but it'll get better

"We were so close." Tyler walked around in his room. Dallon sat on a chair and rubbed his face with his palms.

"Calm down, Tyler." he answered tiredly.

"We were so, so close. He was right in front of us!" Tyler said angrily. "I hate this guy. What's his name again?"

"Gerard." Dallon answered.

"And who was the boy who was with him?"

Dallon shrugged. "I don't know. I know the gang, but he isn't part of it. I've never seen him before."

"But why did he run?"

"Maybe he's a new member of the gang?"

Tyler stopped and crossed his arms. "You weren't fast enough. You should've caught them."

Dallon sighed. "The gang knows how to hide."

Tyler closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "We have to find them."

 

                                               -----

 

"Ssh." Gerard pointed to the street. Frank laid on the ground, motionless, eyes closed. He was the distraction. He was part of the plan.

A carriage appeared at a bend.

"Ready?" Gerard whispered.

Josh nodded. He was nervous as hell.

Pete smiled at him. "Don't worry. It'll be fine."

Josh nodded and tried to ignore his fear.

The carriage came closer and closer. It was accompanied by two soldiers on horses. The coachman saw Frank laying on the street and stopped the carriage. One of the soldiers dismounted his horse and walked to Frank. He grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly.

"Hey. Hey! Are you okay?"

Frank jumped up and pressed a knife against the soldier's throat.

"Don't move." he growled.

The soldier swallowed and raised his hands.

Gerard stood up. "Come on." he said and ran onto the street. The rest of the gang followed him.

Josh could only stare at the blade next to the soldier's throat.

"Give me your money." Gerard said. "And no one gets hurt."

Pete and Brendon opened the doors of the carriage.

"Get out, fuckers." Brendon shouted. A woman and a man, with expensive clothes stumbled out of the carriage. Fear was written all over their faces.

"Please…" the woman whispered.

"The money." Gerard said and played with the knife in his hands. The man stumbled back to the carriage and handed Gerard a small wooden box. Gerard gave Josh the box.

"Go." he said.

Josh nodded and turned. He started running after a few steps. He couldn't get back to the camp fast enough.

His lungs hurted when he arrived at the camp. His whole body trembled and he fell on his knees, the box still in his hands.

Slowly, Josh opened the box and stared at the golden coins. He had never seen so much money.

He heard gasps and quick footsteps.

Brendon pushed him and laughed when Josh fell over.

"What…what happened?" Josh asked.

Brendon sat down next to him and grabbed a handful of coins. "Everything's a-okay. They're fine. Nobody got hurt." he said.

Josh started laughing hysterically. He stood up and hugged the person who stood next to him. It was Gerard.

"Hey! Leave my boy alone!" Frank protested, but he smiled.

Gerard shifted awkwardly in Josh's arms. "I…I think that's long enough."

"Oh…yeah…sorry." Josh mumbled and took a step backwards.

"It's okay." Gerard smirked. "As long as I can kiss Frank afterwards."

"Oh, come here, babe." Frank said and kissed him passionately.


	4. Arrested

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I won't be able to update the next few days, so I wrote this long chapter for you. I hope you like it!  
> I'll try to update anyway if I get the possibility

The next day. It was warm and no cloud was in sight.

Gerard had apportioned the money among every boy. Josh couldn't believe he owned so much money now. He stared at the coins again and again. He could buy so many things, like new clothes, food, maybe a knife?

Josh's thoughts were interrupted by Pete waving his hand in front of Josh's face.

"Earth to Josh! Hello?"

"What?" Josh asked.

Pete grinned. "We're going to the river to take a bath, okay? Would you like to join in?"

Josh nodded and put the money in his trouser pocket. The other guys disappeared in the cabin and came back a few minutes later.

Then, they started walking. Josh didn't know where to go, he just followed the others. Gerard held hands with Frank and chatted with Pete.

Brendon walked next to Josh.

"So…ever had a girlfriend?" he asked.

Josh stared at him. Brendon shrugged.

"No…" Josh answered. Brendon nodded sympathetically.

"What about you?" Josh asked.

Brendon laughed. "I'm gay as hell. I'm the gayest motherfucker in the world."

"He's a slut, be careful!" Pete yelled.

Brendon pushed him. "Shut up, Pete. You aren't straight either."

Pete giggled.

"Are you straight?" Brendon asked Josh.

Josh shook his head. "No, I'm bi."

"So you love boys and girls?"

Josh shrugged uncomfortably. "Yeah…"

"Cool. That's smart. You have the double choice."

Josh blushed. "I've never seen it this way."

"Wanna fuck?" Brendon asked.

Josh stopped immediatly and stared at him. "What!?"

Brendon laughed and patted his shoulder. "It was a joke. Relax."

He winked at Josh with a smile. Josh avoided his gaze and took a deep breath.

"No, seriously, if you ever want to fuck, tell me, but I don't care if you don't want to." Brendon offered.

"Uh…thanks, I guess." Josh mumbled.

They walked in silence for the next few minutes until they arrived at the river. They boys stripped quickly and threw their clothes on the grass. Josh knelt down and tested the water temperature with his hand. The water was was freezing. He heard Brendon's footsteps and before he could react, Brendon had pushed him into the river. Josh gasped for breath when the cold water came in contact with his skin. Brendon followed with a cannonball. Gerard protested loudly when Pete pushed him underwater. Frank helped him while yelling "I'll save you, princess!"

They bathed until it was too cold to stay in the water any longer.

Josh got out of the water. The other boys followed him, carefree laughing. Josh grabbed his clothes but froze when he saw the tall man that stood under a tree, arms crossed and a grin on his face. Josh covered his private parts quickly.

He knew he had seen the man before.

Josh stared at the man, motionless and the man stared back.

The others got silent when they saw Josh and the man.

"Who's this motherfucker?" Brendon yelled.

The man took a step forward. Gerard sucked in a breath.

The man grinned. "Good afternoon, Gerard."

"Gee, who's this?" Pete asked and furrowed his brows.

The man ran a hand though his hair. "Dallon. I'm the king's adviser."

"Shit." Pete whispered.

Gerard laughed. "I know you. You're the king's fucking pet."

Dallon sighed but he didn't correct Gerard.

Josh gasped when he remembered the man. He was the one who he had seen next to the king in the village.

Gerard stepped closer to the man. Dallon was taller, so Gerard had to look up to see his face.

"Do you want to arrest us? Alone?"

Dallon chuckled. "Oh, I'm not alone."

He pointed at the soldiers who appeared between the trees. Josh swallowed. He winced when he saw their swords. He didn't want to get arrested.

"Fuck!" Brendon said and jumped back into the river. Immediatly, Dallon followed him into the water and grabbed the naked boy by his hips. Brendon tried to escape his grip, but Dallon was too strong.

Pete laughed when Dallon placed the dripping wet boy on the ground, but he stopped when a soldier grabbed his arm.

Brendon grunted and got up to get dressed.

"You all." Dallon said with a sigh and wrung his sleeve out. "Get dressed. Now. I don't want to go through the village with all of you being naked."

None of the boys protested. They knew they couldn't flee this time. After they got dressed, the soldiers tied the boys up and lifted them on the horses.

Dallon grabbed Brendon by his collar and pulled him up on his horse, so that he sat in front of Dallon. Brendon closed his eyes and leaned against Dallon's chest. Dallon smiled slightly and grabbed the reins.

The ride wasn't long, but the sun was already setting when they arrived at the castle. The guardians opened the gate to let them in. Josh stared at the big walls and all the maids, servents and soldiers in the yard.

A soldier helped him to dismount the horse. He saw how Dallon set Brendon down carefully. Brendon stared at him the whole time, until Dallon winked at him. Brendon blushed.

Dallon turned and looked at the other boys. "Follow me."

 

                                               -----

Tyler heard a knock at the door.

He turned. Dallon opened the door and entered the room.

"Your majesty." He said with a grin.

Tyler furrowed his brows. "What happened?"

"We arrested the gang."

Tyler jumped around like a five-year old. "Yes! Yes!" he shouted. "Finally!"

Dallon laughed. "Calm down, Tyler. Do you want to see them?"

Tyler nodded. "Yes, of course."

He followed Dallon to the throne room and sat down on the throne excitedly.

"Let them in." He gestured to the guard at the door.

 

                                                        -----

The first thing Josh saw when the door opened were the big marble columns. The second thing was the king.

Josh couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful he was. The brown, fluffy hair, the full lips, the warm brown eyes,… He was so cute.

The king, Tyler, cleared his throat and stood up.

"Bow down in front of your king." he sad with a high voice full of excitement.

Everybody followed the order.

Tyler crossed his arms, an attempt to show authority and strictness, but he failed. Josh saw the joy in his eyes.

Tyler walked towards Gerard. "And so we meet again, Gerard. You didn't expect Dallon, right?"

Gerard sneered. "You were slow. I've expected your pet sooner."

Tyler didn't know what to respond. He furrowed his brows and shrugged. "Better late than never."

He turned and walked to Josh.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"I…I'm…Josh, your majesty." Josh stuttered and blushed.

Tyler nodded shortly and walked back to his throne. He sat down with a sigh.

"Well, welcome to my castle. And welcome to my dungeon. It'll be your home until I decide about your punishment."

"Fuck you!" Brendon spat. He winced when Dallon grabbed his neck and squeezed it painfully.

The soldiers pushed them out of the throne room and to the prison cell. The door closed with a squeak. Josh grabbed the bars and stared at the light of the torch which disappeared behind a thick wooden door.

Brendon cursed loudly. The others sat down on the cold floor. Josh was sure he saw some rats running around.

"Fuck!" Brendon yelled angrily. "Shit, shit, shit! Fuuuck!"

"Calm down, Brendon." Pete sighed.

"Does anyone have their knifes?" Frank asked. Pete shook his head. "No. They took everything."

"Even my money." Josh added.

"Well." Gerard said. "We have to get out of here."

"And how?" Brendon asked grumpy.

Gerard sighed. "I don't know."

 

                                                        -----

 

Josh rubbed his wrist. The skin was sensitive from the rope. After a long time trying to loose the knot, the ropes fell down on the floor. Josh helped the others with their bonds.

Frank stared at the small, metal-grilled window above their head.

"I wish we could rip the grid out." he mumbled.

Brendon stood up and jumped, but he couldn't reach the window.

"Hold on." Frank said. "Lift me up."

Gerard and Brendon grabbed Franks legs and lifted him up. Frank grabbed the bars and pulled, but nothing happened. After a few minutes, Brendon and Gerard couldn't lift him up any longer.

They set Frank down carefully. Brendon groaned and massaged his neck.

"You're so heavy."

"Thanks." Frank said and rolled his eyes.

Gerard kissed him. "You're fine for me." he whispered.

Josh cleared his throat. "We can do it."

Pete shook his head. "No, we can't."

"Well, not with our hands." Josh said. He stared at the grid. "Look, the grid is rusty. We can use the ropes to rip it out. Maybe one person alone isn't strong enough, but I guess together we are. We could tie the ropes to the bars and pull together at the same time. I'm sure it'll work." he suggested.

Everybody stared at him.

"It…it was just an idea…" Josh said quitely.

"That's an amazing idea!" Gerard said. "Let's try it!"

They lifted Frank up again and he tied the ropes to the bars. Brendon cursed everytime Frank moved and kicked Brendon's stomach accidentally. After a few minutes, Frank had finished. Everybody grabbed a rope.

"One…two…three!" Gerard yelled.

Everybody pulled. With a squeak, the grid got ripped out and fell on the floor.

"Yeah!" Pete shouted. "It worked!"

"Let's get out of this dump." Gerard said with a satisfied smile. He and Pete lifted Frank up. With a groan, Frank edged through the small window. He fell down on the other side.

"It's not high, we can jump." he whispered.

"Okay." Gerard said and pointed at Pete. "You're next."

They lifted Pete up and he fell down on the other side.

"Hurry!" Frank said nervously.

Josh and Brendon lifted Gerard up and he disappeared through the window. Brendon stared at Josh. "You're a genius." he said in awe.

Josh smiled and shrugged. "I'm glad it worked."

Brendon grinned and climbed on Josh's shoulders. He got stuck, but after some cursing the others pulled from the outside and Brendon fell down.

Josh jumped, but he couldn't reach the window. He was too short.

"Oh no." he mumbled.

"Josh, come on!" Brendon yelled from the other side. "We have to go!"

"I can't reach the window!" Josh said desperated. He was afraid the others wouldn't wait for him.

"Use the ropes!" Pete suggested.

Josh looked at the door. What if a guard would appear before he could flee?

He grabbed the ropes and tied them together to a thick cord. He threw one end through the window. Brendon caught it. They grabbed the cord with all their strengh.

Josh grabbed the cord and started climbing. He was glad about his arm muscles. He squeezed through the window and fell down with a thunk.

"Let's go!" Gerard mumbled. It was dark outside, only a few torches gave some light. They arrived at the big yard and hid behind some barrels.

"We have to climb over the court limiting wall." Pete said with concern. "And we have to cross the yard to reach it."

"No. The wall is too big. We can't climb over it." Frank protested.

Brendon pointed at the yard. "They're opening the gate for a carriage."

"Okay. We have to sneak by." Gerard said. "We have to hurry. This is the only chance."

The boys followed him to the gate. The carriage stopped in the middle of the yard and the king got out. Everybody looked at the king. Nobody noticed the five boys. They walked through the gate quickly.

Gerard pointed at the forest near the castle. They started running.

When they reached the forest, everybody stared to laugh hysterically. They made a group hug.

"We did it!" Pete grinned.

Gerard smiled. "Thanks to Josh. Let's go home. I'm tired and hungry."

 

 


	5. The search

"What!?" Tyler stared at Dallon.

Dallon took a deep breath. "The gang escaped."

Tyler's face lit up in anger. The gang ridiculed him. Everybody would laugh at him, if they'd hear the boys escaped the night after they got caught. They were too smart, he was a bad king, he-

"Find them!" he yelled.

Dallon flinched. "I- I don't know where…"

"I don't care!" Tyler stood up and stared out of the window to the forest.

"You found them last time and you'll find them again."

"I…your majesty…I only knew they'd go the river. I don't know where their camp is." Dallon answered quietly.

Tyler turned. Dallon stepped back at the sight of the anger in his eyes.

"Dallon! You will find them." he growled.

"But…but what if I fail?"

"Believe me, you don't want to know what I'll do to you, if you fail. You have three days to find them." Tyler answered with a dangerous smirk.

Dallon swallowed. "I…I will find them, your majesty."

He bowed to Tyler and left the room quickly. He closed the door and took a deep breath. He was friends with Tyler, but Tyler was the king and way more powerful than Dallon.

And if Tyler issued an order, Dallon had to follow it.

Three days.

Dallon prayed he'd find the gang within these three days.

 

                                               -----

 

"Sssh." Pete whispered and pointed at a soldier who walked through the forest, his sword in his hand.

Josh sat next to him on a tree and watched the soldiers who searched for the gang.

The soldier hestiated and stopped. He turned around slowly. Josh saw how nervous he was. The sword in his hands trembled.

A tall man stepped next to the soldier.

"Jack, have you found the camp? Or other hints where they could be?" he asked.

Josh recongnized him. It was Dallon, Tyler's "pet" how Gerard had called him.

Jack, the soldier, shook his head.

"No, Sir. Nothing."

Dallon sighed. "We need to find them. Tyler will kill me, if we return home without the boys. He was furious. I've never seen him so angry in my life."

Pete chuckled. "Gee will love to hear that." he whispered.

Josh smiled slightly. He kinda felt bad for Dallon. Tyler wouldn't be happy.

Josh didn't know the king, except of their short meeting in the throne room, but he was sure, aside his cuteness Tyler was a tough guy.

Dallon sighed again and scratched his head.

"Maybe we should go more east. The forest is thicker there."

Pete flinched and nearly fell of the tree. Josh grabbed his arm and saved him from falling down. The wood creaked.

Pete stared at him with wide eyes. Josh stared back. Their camp was in this direction.

Josh bit nervously on his lip and stared down to Dallon and the soldier.

The two man looked up, because of the noise Pete had made. Josh and Pete hold their breath.

Dallon furrowed his brows. After a few moments, which felt like hours, he cleared his throat and looked back at Jack.

"It's getting dark. I think we should look around in another area tomorrow. I don't think they're here."

The soldier nodded and put his sword back into the scabbard. The two man dissapeared. Josh and Pete stayed on the tree for almost twenty minutes until they were sure the soldiers were gone.

As soon as Josh's feet touched the ground, he released a shaky breath.

"That was a near miss!" he said with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah." Pete agreed. "We have to find the others."

 

                                               -----

 

Josh stared into the flames of the campfire. The others were laughing and chatting, but he kept quiet.

Frank sat down next to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Josh nodded. "I just feel bad for Dallon. He's a nice guy, I think. I don't want him to get hurt."

Josh was afraid Frank would laugh about him, but he didn't. Frank stared at the flames for a few moments before he spoke again.

"Well, I understand your worry. I always expected Dallon to be an asshole, to be honest. Just because he's the king's adviser. But he's not. You're right, he is a nice guy. But, don't forget: he's our enemy. I know Tyler likes him, so I'm sure he won't hurt him too much."

Josh smiled at him and sighed. "Maybe you're right."

"Who are you talkin' about?" Gerard asked.

"Dallon." Frank answered.

"He's gorgeous, isn't he?" Brendon said with a sigh. Pete choked on his drink and coughed.

Everyone stared at Brendon.

Brendon blushed. "I…I don't like him…he just looks…cute." he mumbled.

Pete laughed. "Sure, man. You totally don't have a crush on him."

Brendon blushed even more. "Shut up, fucker."

"You know you can't trust him?" Gerard asked.

Brendon stood up. "Do you think I'm fucking stupid? I know I can't trust him. He's a fucking idiot!" he turned, ran into the cabin and slammed the door behind him.

Gerard sighed and rubbed his face with his palms. "Frank, darling, try to calm him down, okay?"

Frank nodded and stood up. He kissed Gerard and followed Brendon into the cabin.

Josh yawned. "I think I'll go to bed, guys. 'M tired."

Pete smiled. "Good night."

When Josh walked by Gerard, a hand grabbed his wrist.

"I like you, Josh. I hope you'll stay with us." Gerard whispered. Josh smiled and suddenly his chest was filled with a warm feeling.

"Thank you, Gee." he answered. He'd stay. He had found a new family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe you ask yourself 'where's Patrick?'  
> Don't worry, he'll be in this fic soon. Pete needs his Patrick


	6. Patrick

The small boy who walked through the forest was scared. He had been attacked by two men. They stole all his money and beat him up and left him bleeding.

When they left him alone, he stood up and ran. He just wanted to get away as far as possible.

The boy knew being alone was dangerous, but he didn't have anybody. He was tired and hurt and when he stumbled over his own feet and fell down, he didn't get up. He just kept laying on the street, shivering, not even trying to get up again. He started crying when he realized how alone he was. He just wanted a friend. Somebody who would protect him.

He closed his eyes and tried shut the world out.

 

                                                        -----

Pete pointed at the street.

"Guys, look at this!"

Josh saw a person laying on the street.

Gerard walked to the person and the others followed him. It was a boy, Josh noticed. A boy with dirty blonde hair, who wore a fedora. He didn't move and his eyes were closed.

"Is he dead?" Brendon asked.

Pete shrugged. "I don't know." He poked him. "Hey. Hey!"

The boy opened his eyes and stared at Pete terrified. Pete looked him in the eyes and he knew, whoever this boy was, he'd do anything to make him smile.

The boy flinched and started to breathe heavily in fear.

"Please…don't hurt me…" he stuttered.

Pete's heart broke when he saw the fear in the boy's eyes.

"We won't hurt you." Gerard said.

Pete nodded. "You're safe now."

"What's your name?" Frank asked.

"Pat…Patrick. I'm Patrick." he mumbled.

"Hey hey, I'm Gerard Way Way." Gerard said, flipped his hair and wiggled his hips. The boy stared at him with wide eyes, totally confused.

Pete laughed. "Don't worry, Patrick, Gee's a nice guy, but he's kind of a diva. I'm Pete by the way. And this is Frank and Brendon and Josh."

He grabbed Patrick's hand and helped him to get up. Pete was small, but Patrick was even smaller. Pete just wanted to protect him from everything bad in the world.

He gasped when he noticed the blood on the boy's face. "You're bleeding!"

Patrick touched his face and stared at the blood on his fingers. "Oh, I didn't notice. It's okay, it's not a deep cut."

"What happened?" Brendon asked.

"I was attacked. They stole everything and beat me up." Patrick answered and almost started to cry when he thought about it.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Pete said and hugged the boy. Patrick flinched at first, but then he cried into Pete's shoulder.

Gerard clicked with his tongue. "Well, we do the same thing, Pete."

Pete tried to hush him with a glare, but Patrick had heard him. He stumbled backwards. "What!?" he cried out with a high-pitched voice.

"We don't beat people up." Pete growled.

"We take their money. And sometimes we make them suffer. We take them with us and kill them slowly." Brendon said with a low voice and started to laugh when he saw Patrick's fearful face expression.

"Shut up, Brendon." Pete snapped angrily.

Patrick's breath sped up, he almost hyperventilated. Pete grabbed his hands and squeezed them slightly. "Don't worry, Brendon is a dick and a liar."

Josh nodded. "They're nice guys."

"Including you." Gerard said and pointed at him. Josh smiled.

" _Who are you?"_ Patrick asked, calming down slowly.

Frank cleared his throat. "Ever heard of the gang?"

" _You_ are the gang?" Patrick asked in awe.

Gerard rolled his eyes. "Oh my god, a fan! I knew we were popular. I fucking knew it!"

"I can't believe it!" Patrick said and shook his head. "So you are the famous Gerard, leader of the gang. You are-" he pointed at Frank. "Gerard's loyal boyfriend and you are the cool Pete-" Pete ignored Brendon's chuckle and smiled at Patrick. "and, whoa, you are Brendon and you are…" he hesitated.

"Josh."

"He's also cool and nice and a beautiful person." Brendon said and patted Josh's shoulder. "Do you want an autograph?"

Patrick stared at the gang, jaw hanging open, like he couldn't believe they were real. "I never thought I'd meet you in real life! I've heard so many stories about you! You're my idols!" he said with excitement.

Gerard sighed. "Calm down, dude."

Patrick closed his mouth quickly. "Can I be a part of the gang?" he asked.

Pete grinned. "Sure!"

"What?" Brendon stared at him. "You want this tiny motherfucker in our gang?"

Gerard shrugged. "Why not? He's cute."

Brendon swallowed. "Alright. Okay. We just have to be careful, he's so tiny he can disappear easily."

Pete laughed. "I can take care of him. Welcome to the gang, Patrick."

Patrick smiled happily. "I always wanted to have friends!"

Pete's heart melted at the cuteness of the small boy. He grabbed Patrick's hand. "Come with us, we'll go back to the camp."

He started to run and Patrick followed him quickly.

Brendon crossed his arms and pouted. "That's not fair. He just took Patrick away from me. He'll have a boyfriend before me."

Josh could tell Brendon was joking when he rested an arm on Josh's shoulder and sighed dramatically.

"We're left over, Josh. Two lonely boys, both attracted to men, what can we do?"

Josh chuckled. "I'm not gonna fuck you, Brendon."

Brendon giggled. "I know. Because you love Ty-hy-ler."

Josh pushed him playfully. "Shut up. That's not true. I'm not in love."

"Yeah, but you have a crush on him."

Josh blushed. "Maybe. Let's drop the subject. So, everyone you meet on the street becomes a member of the gang?" he asked.

Gerard, who had watched his and Brendon's interaction with a smile, shook his head.

"No. Only the guys we like. Right, Frankie?"

Frank nodded and kissed Gerard. Brendon started to gag dramatically when their kiss got more intense.

"Let's go, Josh. I don't need to see their fucking tongues and disgusting wet kisses." He ran after Pete and Patrick.

"Fuck you, Brendon!" yelled Gerard.

Brendon just laughed.


	7. Trapped

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter today, I'm sorry

Dallon's hands shook. He was nervous. It was the third day after the gang had escaped. His last chance to catch and arrest them.

Tyler was a nice guy and Dallon was sure he wouldn't hurt or punish him (actually, Tyler never had punished anybody), but he didn't want to risk it. He knew, Tyler would get angry. Very angry. Or he'd start to doubt himself and that was even worse.

Dallon couldn't count all the nights when he sat next to Tyler, holding the thin boy in his arms and telling him all would be okay, while Tyler cried and sobbed and said he didn't want to be a king.

Now, Tyler had the ukulele in his hands and played a few chords.

"You know what day it is, Dallon?" he asked thoughtful.

Dallon nodded. "The last day. The last chance."

Tyler nodded. "Please, find them, Dallon. You know I'd never hurt you, but please, don't disappoint me." he said with a sad smile.

"I will find them, Tyler. I promise."

Tyler sighed and placed the ukulele on the bed. "I can't deal with them. They're too smart. I'm sure they laugh at me."

"You shouldn't care what they think about you. They're bandits. Thieves. They deserve to be arrested." Dallon said. Well, except one guy, but he didn't say it out loud.

Tyler stood up and ran a hand through his hair. "Just…find them. Please. I rely on you."

Dallon grabbed the door handle. "I have a guess where they could be today."

 

                                               -----

 

"Oh my god, I'm so excited!" Patrick grinned.

Pete smiled at his friend (he hoped to be his boyfriend one day). The whole gang became friends with Patrick quickly. They were like one, big family.

Today was a big market in the village, the perfect opportunity to steal some wallets from some wealthy citizens. They stood outside the village, behind a grove.

"We'll seperate the group." Gerard said. "I'll go with Frankie, Pete will go with Patrick and Brendon with Josh, okay?"

Everybody nodded.

Gerard smiled. "Alright. See you later. And watch out for the soldiers." He and Frank walked towards the village.

Pete grabbed Patrick's hand. "See you. And be careful."

Josh smiled. "We will."

Patrick and Pete began to run.

Brendon grinned at Josh. "Ready? Let's go!"

Josh followed Brendon when they walked into the village. It was a sunny day and Josh and Brendon joked around and didn't pay much attention to the other people. Josh liked Brendon a lot. He was a nice and loyal guy and a good friend, although the cursed all the time.

They walked around through the market. Brendon pointed at a booth with small cakes.

"Hungry?" he asked.

Josh nodded. "Yeah, but I don't have money. The soldiers took it."

Brendon sighed. "Neither do I. I bought a new knife because this assholes took my old one."

He stared at the booth and licked his lips. "I'm so hungry, Josh. Look at the cakes."

Josh laughed. "Well, wait until we stole a wallet and you can buy every cake you want."

Brendon shook his head. "No. Gerard's rule number one. Don't get caught. Which means, if you stole something, leave the village as soon as possible." He sighed. "So I can't buy food. And I'm staaaarving!"

Josh poked him. "Brendon, you're like an annoying five-year old."

"Oh, shut up, Dun. I want cake, right now. And I will get it."

"Wait, what are you doing?" Josh protested, but Brendon was already gone. He walked to the booth, waited for the right moment and grabbed a cake. Unfortunately, the seller saw it.

"Hey!"

Brendon stared at him in shock. Then, he turned and started to run.

"Thieves!" the man yelled. Everybody stared at the two boys.

"Brendon! Wait for me!"

But Brendon had already disappeared between the people. The man pointed at Josh. "He's a thief! Get him!"

Josh stumbled backwards. A hand grabbed his arm. Josh turned and looked in the face of a soldier. "Stop, buster!"

Josh freed himself from the grip and ran. He ran as fast as he could. His heart was racing and he stumbled a few times, but he ran. The people behind him yelled things Josh didn't understand. He ran along a street and pushed a few men aside. The soldiers were close to his heels and Josh knocked a few tables over when he ran through the market. He crossed the street and ran through a small alley.

Suddenly, he stopped and stared at the wall in front of him. The alley had a dead end.

He was trapped.


	8. Death

Josh stared at the wall. His heart was racing and he breathed heavily. He turned. To run back was the only way to escape.

He heard fast footsteps. Two soldiers ran into his direction. Josh knew, it was too late to flee. He was shaking and he dropped on his knees, because he couldn't stand any longer. He was afraid and terrified.

The soldiers walked slowly to him, Josh could see the grin on their faces.

They stopped in front of him and looked down. Josh swallowed hardly.

One of the soldiers had a big scar on his face. Josh recognized him. He was the one who walked through the forest with Dallon. What was his name again? James? Jack? Yes, it was Jack.

The soldier grinned widely and grabbed Josh's hair.

"Look how afraid he is, the little motherfucker." He laughed and pulled Josh's hair. Josh cried out in pain.

"Oh, he's a crybaby! Look at him, he's disgusting!"

Josh blinked in an attempt to hold back the tears. "My friends…they'll help me." he whispered.

Jack slapped him. "Shut up." he hissed. He pointed at the scar on his face.

"You see that? I've dealt with worse than you, you know? You're just a little stupid boy who doesn't know what pain is. But you'll feel real pain soon, trust me." He kicked Josh's stomach. Josh gasped. Jack laughed and punched him in the face. Again. And again.

After a few more kicks and hits, Josh passed out.

 

                                                        ------

 

"What the fuck did you do?" Gerard yelled at Brendon.

Brendon flinched. "I'm sorry, Gee, I really am. Oh my god, they'll execute him and it's all my fault." he teared up.

"Yes, it's your fault! You should've been careful! But you weren't, so yes, they'll kill him and there's nothing we can do!" Gerard shouted furiously.

Frank cleared his throat. "Gee, calm down."

"Don't tell me what to do!" Gerard hissed. "He was our friend, Brendon. I told you to take care of him, remember? You had one job, and you failed! You always fail! You're a shitty friend!"

"Gee, it's enough!" Frank said and grabbed Gerard's arm. Gerard glared at him.

Brendon sobbed. "He's right. I'm a fucking asshole. I just left him…"

"That's not true." Patrick said and hugged him. "Maybe it was wrong to leave him, but you're not a bad friend. You couldn't help him. They would've arrested you, too."

Pete nodded. "Patrick's right."

Patrick wiped Brendon's tears away. "I'm sure they won't execute him. And we'll rescue him."

Gerard laughed sardonically. "No. We won't, Patrick. We escaped last time, but this time…. Maybe we can get _out_ of the castle, but we can't get _in_. And we all know the law: Everyone, who escapes from a prison and gets caught again, gets executed immediatly."

Brendon buried his head in his hands. "It's my fault. It's all my fault." he whispered.

"But…we have to do _something!_ " Patrick said desperated.

Gerard smiled sadly. "We would, if we could. I'd do anything to help him, trust me. But we can't, Patrick. We can't. There's no way we can help him."

"So…you just give up?!" Patrick stared at him.

Gerard turned away. "No. But I know when we lost."

"I can't believe it!" Patrick shook his head. "Pete! Say something!"

Pete swallowed. "Gerard's right, Pat. There's nothing we can do."

Patrick stumbled backwards. "No! No! We need to help him, please!"

Everybody stared at the ground and avoided Patrick's gaze. Patrick started to cry. "I…I thought you…you were…friends…you're such…cowards!"

Pete wanted to hug him, but Patrick pushed him away. "No! Don't touch me! I hate you! I hate you all!"

 

                                               -----

 

Josh stumbled through the yard. His nose was bleeding, his face hurt and he had the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. Jack had grabbed his neck and pushed him forward. He dragged Josh through a small gate to another, smaller yard. Josh froze when he saw the small stand and the axe on it.

A young maid looked up and her eyes widened when he saw Josh.

"Get the king! And the executioner!" Jack yelled.

The maid hesitated.

"Hurry up!" Jack shouted. The maid flinched and walked away. Josh saw the pity in her eyes when he caught her gaze.

Jack pushed him forward on the stand and forced him to sit on his knees. Josh couldn't defend himself, because his hands were tied behind his back. He didn't know what would happen next. He was scared and hurt and he just wanted his friends to be with him.

Jack grabbed Josh's hair and yanked his head backwards.

"Do you want to know what will happen next?" he whispered.

Josh stared into his eyes and he was shocked.

Jack smiled at his fearful expression. "Well, there's this wonderful axe. And the executioner will use it to behead you." he whispered.

Josh flinched. He was petrified when Jack drew a line on his neck with his fingers.

"Say your last prayers, bastard." He laughed.

Josh's eyes filled with tears. He didn't want to die. He wanted to live.

"Please…" he whispered. "Please…"

Jack pinched his cheek. "Don't beg. It won't work. Prepare to die."

 

                                               -----

 

"Your majesty?"

Tyler and Dallon looked up. The young maid, the one who adored Tyler, stood in the room. Her hands shook and she looked scared.

"What's the matter?" Tyler asked.

"It's…it's Jack. He caught a gang member. He's…he's waiting for the execution."

Dallon froze. What if it was the boy, the boy he loved?

Tyler swallowed. "Who…who is it?"

The maid shrugged. "I don't know him."

Tyler took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright…let's go."

He hid his shaking hands behind his back when he followed the maid to the yard. Dallon walked next to him. Tyler noticed how nervous he was. He kept glancing at Tyler and took deep breaths to calm down.

Tyler didn't want to execute anybody. He didn't want to hurt anybody. He bit nervously on his lip.

But he knew the law. It was his own law.

 

                                                        -----

 

The executioner wore a mask. Josh couldn't see his face. But it didn't matter, because he was blindfolded. Josh cried. His tears soaked through the black fabric of the blindfold. He was shaking and sobbing.

Every breath could be his last.

He heard footsteps.

"Where is he?" a young voice asked. The king's voice.

"There. Ready to lose his life." Jack answered.

Josh heard the noise of metal scratching along stone. The executioner ground the axe.

Josh knew he'd die. And he was terribly afraid.

"Three." The executioner said.

Josh was shaken by sobs. His eyes burned from his tears.

"Two."

Josh took a deep breath. _That's it. It's over._

"One."


	9. Stop!

_Goodbye_ , Josh thought.

"STOP!" somebody yelled.

Josh had never heard a more beautiful voice in his life.

"Stop! Stop it!" the voice repeated and Josh heard the fear in it. "Stop it, please!"

It was the king's voice and he was crying. Why was he crying?

The blindfold disappeared and somebody untied Josh's hands and Josh blinked a few times. He saw Jack's angry face and Josh thought the soldier would kill him without hesitation if he was allowed to.

Somebody ran to Josh and knelt down beside him. Josh stared into chocolate brown eyes filled with tears.

It was the king and he was crying.

"You're okay. You're okay." he whispered. His hand was shaking when he wiped Josh's tears away. Josh couldn't react, he was frozen.

The king grabbed his shoulders. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

Josh swallowed and nodded. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move.

Suddenly, the king took a deep breath and stood up. His face was serious and calm.

He said something Josh couldn't understand, but his voice was unemotional and cold.

Josh blinked again. He tried to understand what happened. He wouldn't die. Not today. But why? And what was wrong with the king? Why did he cry?

Josh didn't notice he kept sitting on his knees, until he felt a hand on his shoulders.

"Hey…are you okay?"

Josh looked up. The young maid looked at him with concern.

"Yes…" Josh answered and his voice was hoarse. The maid helped him to get up. Josh spotted Jack on the end of the yard. He was talking to the executioner and both looked very angry. Josh flinched when the executioner turned his face and looked at him. He still wore the mask that hid his face.

Josh stumbled backwards. The maid grabbed his arm.

"Follow me." she said.

Josh followed her, but he couldn't concentrate on his surroundings. His mind was racing. He felt sick.

They maid led him to a big room.

"Wait here." she said and left the room. Josh turned around slowly. A soft-looking couch with red velvet, thick curtains, statues, a wooden desk and, of course, the marble columns. The room looked like a study.

The door opened and the king, Tyler, walked in. He seemed calm. He stopped in front of him.

Josh felt very uncomfortable. Tyler stood in front of him, arms crossed and looked him over from head to toe. Josh stared at his hands and noticed the dirt under his fingernails. He looked at Tyler's hands. They looked clean and soft. Josh felt ugly und dirty beside the white marmor statues, the clean floor and the white walls. Everything was so perfect. And Josh didn't fit in. He bit nervously on his lips until he tasted blood in his mouth.

Tyler cleared his throat after a few minutes. "You're Josh, right?"

Josh nodded. Tyler smiled. "I'm Tyler." He grabbed Josh's hand and shook it.

Yes, his hands were really soft. Josh smiled back. "I know, your majesty."

"Don't call me like that. Just…Tyler, okay? I hate this formality." He sighed. "How are you?"

Josh was confused. A few minutes ago, he nearly died and now he talked to the king and he was nice and asked how he was. What was going on?

"I…I'm fine. Just tired. And hungry." he mumbled. Tyler nodded and pointed at the couch.

"Sit down, please."

Josh sat down. Tyler offered him tea and cookies. Tyler sat down next to him and sighed a few times before he started to speak.

"Well…Josh…you maybe wonder why I stopped your…execution."

Josh sipped his tea and nodded.

Tyler rubbed his face with his palms. "I don't want to execute you. I mean, you're a thief and you need to be punished, but I will think about that later. For now, you're safe. I'll give you a room for yourself where you can sleep and take a bath, because your whole face is covered in blood. And there are some fresh clothes. Jack will watch you, so you don't escape again." Tyler laughed slightly. "I still wonder how you could escape."

Josh smiled. "It was easy."

Tyler became serious. "Don't worry, okay? You're safe for the next days."

Josh bit his lip. "Why do you do this? Why are you so nice?"

 

                                               -----

 

Tyler hesitated. He didn't know what to say.

 _Because I like you. Because I thought about you since I saw you the first time. Because I'm lonley and I want company. Because you're beautiful with your smile and your brown eyes. Because I want to get to know you. I want to make you happy, I want to see you smile and maybe, maybe I want to kiss you one day._ he thought. But he didn't say it out loud. He looked at the ceiling and took a deep breath.

"I'm not as bad as I seem." He said and stood up. "The maid will show you your room." He nearly ran when he left the room.

 

                                               -----

 

"He's fine!" Brendon yelled, when he ran to the camp. "He's fine! Josh is fine!"

Gerard stood up from where he sat the whole day, staring at the ground, cursing himself and wishing he could switch places with Josh. Or be by his side.

"What?"

Brendon cried, sobbed and laughed at the same time. "He's fine! The king stopped the execution!"

Gerard sighed in relief and hugged Brendon. "I don't believe in god, but I want to thank him right now." Brendon whispered.

The other's had heard Brendon's yelling and rushed out of the cabin. Pete froze when he saw Brendon crying. "No." He whispered. "No, please."

Patrick started to shake, he had been crying the whole day and he fell to his knees. Pete catched him. Patrick whimpered.

Frank gritted his teeth. "Brendon…is he…dead?" he asked although he didn't want to hear the answer. He didn't.

Brendon started to laugh hysterically. Pete swallowed. "Gee…tell us…"

Gerard shook his head in disbelief. "He's fine. Josh is fine."

Frank couldn't believe it. "What?!"

"He's fine." Gerard laughed. "He's fine, motherfuckers!"

Frank ran to him and kissed him. They never had kissed so passionately.

Patrick started to cry even more. Pete fell on his knees next to him. He hugged Patrick. "It's alright." he whispered. "He's okay." And when he kissed Patrick, Patrick kissed back.


	10. The kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't update yesterday, I'm sORRY

 

 

_One week later_

 

Patrick sat on Pete's lap, while Pete played with his hair. Gerard lay on the ground next to Frank, who was asleep.

They heard footsteps and looked up. Brendon walked to them and sat down with a sigh.

"Ew, you all are too adorable with your boyfriends." He grinned.

Pete grinned back. "You're jealous."

Brendon smiled and shook his head. "No, I'm not. I don't need a boyfriend."

Pete grabbed Patrick's hands and kissed his knuckles. Patrick blushed and giggled.

"You're beautiful, Pat." Pete whispered.

"That's all well and good, but I have news about Josh." Brendon said.

Gerard woke Frank. "What's wrong?" Frank mumbled sleepy.

"Brendon has news about Josh." Gerard said.

"Well…" Brendon cleared his throat. "He's fine, but he's still in the castle and he can't get out because this asshole Jack watches him. I don't think Tyler wants to execute him anymore, so he's safe at the moment."

"I miss him." Patrick said sadly. Pete kissed his cheek. "I miss him, too, honey. We all miss him."

"There's no chance to get him out?" Gerard asked.

Brendon shook his head. "No. Tyler told the soldiers to be careful. The gates are always closed."

Frank sighed. "As long as he's fine…"

Gerard stared thoughtfully at Brendon. Brendon furrowed his brows. "What's wrong, Gee?"

Gerard shrugged. "Nothing. I just wonder how you know all these things. You're away most of the time. Are you hiding something from us?"

Brendon bit nervously on his lip. "No, I…I just…the people in the village talk about it…"

"So you're in the village all day long?" Gerard asked.

"I…yeah, I have some things to do…" Brendon hold his breath.

Gerard didn't buy his excuse, but he kept silent and started to kiss Frank's face.

 

                                               ------

 

Josh stared out of the window. He had been in the castle since last week. He didn't miss the forest, the hunger and the cold, but he missed his friends. He hadn't seen them since he had been arrested and he was sure they were worried about him.

Tyler had been really nice to him. He had given him a room with a big, comfortable bed, and new clothes. Tyler had wanted his company and they talked for hours. Tyler played a few songs on his ukulele and he sang and his voice was beautiful. Like an angel.

Josh wouldn't admit it, but he loved everything about the brunette. He couldn't stop staring at the other boy, when he talked about his music, about being king, about his loneliness. Josh knew he was in love with Tyler, he wanted to kiss him and hug him and never let go, but he was the king. And Josh was sure he wasn't interested in him. Josh saw the young maid with Tyler, he saw the love in her sparkling eyes and it hurt him. She was pretty and he was sure Tyler would choose her.

Josh wasn't even sure if he was friends with Tyler. Tyler was the king and he was just a thief and a captive. The reason why Tyler talked to him was probably just because he was bored.

Josh opened the window and took a deep breath. The fresh air filled his lungs. The king had given him a room in the tower, so there was no way to climb through the window to escape. And Josh wasn't even sure if he wanted to leave the castle and Tyler.

It was annoying how Jack watched every step Josh did, but Josh didn't complain. He didn't have to worry about food and the cold. He had company by Tyler, the maid and, of course, Jack, but Josh didn't talk to him. He hated the soldier and the soldier hated him, but as long as Tyler protected him, Josh didn't have to fear Jack. Josh was glad he was alone at the moment.

Josh flinched when he heard a cough. He turned. The room was empty.

"Hello?" he asked, his voice shaking with fear.

A hand appeared under the bed. Josh stared at it terrified.

A second hand appeared and then an upper body. The boy coughed.

"Brendon!" Josh cried out.

Brendon stood up and sneezed. "It's really dusty under your bed." he said with a crooked grin.

"Brendon!" Josh ran to him and hugged him. Brendon laughed and hugged him back.

After a few seconds, Josh let go and stepped back. "Bren, what are you doing here? How did you get in here?"

Brendon smiled. "There's a secret passage no one knows about and I wanted to see you."

"But…what about Jack?" Josh stammered.

Brendon grimaced. "Well, I was under the bed for a long time, Josh. I came a few hours ago, when you weren't here. I just wanted to make sure no one sees me."

Josh smiled. "I'm so happy to see you!"

Brendon grinned. "Same. But, tell me, are you alright? We were pretty worried about you."

Josh nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. But…" he bit on his lip. "I just wonder…why didn't you come earlier? Before the king stopped my execution?"

Brendon noticed how hurt Josh was by the thought of his friends letting him in the lurch. He placed a hand on Josh's arm.

"Listen, I'm really sorry, okay? I…We didn't know about the secret passage until a few days ago. We would've helped you, but we couldn't. We're so happy you're alive."

"I-" Josh said, but suddenly he heard a voice in front of the door. Josh grabbed the shocked Brendon and pushed him under the bed. The door opened and Tyler stepped in.

Josh hold his breath, but Tyler didn't notice Brendon.

"Hi, Josh." he said with a smile.

"Uh…hi." Josh stammered. He swore he could hear Brendon breathing. Tyler walked to the open window.

"Wonderful weather today, isn't it?"

Suddenly, Brendon sneezed. Josh froze.

Tyler turned. "Bless you."

Josh faked a grin to hide his shock. "Uh, thanks."

Tyler watched him. "Is everything okay? You seem…nervous."

Josh nodded quickly. "Yeah, everything's fine. I think I caught a cold."

Tyler furrowed his brows. "A cold? It's warm outside."

Josh mentally slapped himself. "Uh…I'm very…prone to infections…"

"Oh no, my poor boy." Tyler stepped closer, until they were only a few inches apart.

"It's okay…I'm used to it." Josh stammered.

Tyler came closer and his lips touched Josh's. Josh gasped for breath. Tyler pulled back quickly, before Josh could even realize what happened.

"Careful…I don't want to make you sick…" Josh said with a low voice.

"I don't care." Tyler whispered and connected their lips again.

Josh forgot Brendon. He forgot where he was. He forgot everything. He could only concentrate on the feeling of Tyler's soft lips. Tyler grabbed his hair and pulled him closer. Josh closed his eyes. He moaned softly when Tyler bit his lip. Josh couldn't get enough of it.

They pulled apart after what seemed like hours. Josh gasped for breath and stared at Tyler. Tyler smiled at him and licked his lips.

"I wanted to do this for a long time." he said.

Josh grinned. "Me too."

Tyler beamed with joy. "Do you want to come to my room later? To talk and maybe…kiss again?"

Josh nodded. "I'd love to."

Tyler smiled and pecked his cheeks. "See you later." He left the room quickly.

Josh watched him when he left the room. He didn't notice Brendon standing in front of him and waving in front of his face.

"Josh? Dude, can you hear me?"

Josh blinked slowly. "He kissed me." he whispered.

Brendon rolled his eyes. "Yes, he did. Listen, we'll wait until it's dark enough to go, okay? I'll try to distract Jack so you can go to the secret passage."

"Wait, what?" Josh asked in confusion.

Brendon sighed. "That's the plan. I'll get you out of here."

Josh shook his head. "No. I'll stay."

Brendon stared at him. "What?!"

Josh shrugged. "I'll stay. I can't go with you. I can't leave Tyler."

"But…" Brendon stammered. "He's the king. He's only playing games with you. He'll kill you one day. You're not safe. You need to go with me."

"No." Josh crossed his arms. "I need to stay. I love him."

"What about the gang? We miss you. Patrick misses you. He cried nonstop when he found out you would get executed." Brendon said and his voice shook. "Aren't we important to you?"

Josh felt bad when he saw the tears in his friend's eyes. "I'm sorry, Bren. I really am. But I won't go with you."

Brendon sniffed. "We miss you. I thought we were friends." he whispered.

Josh couldn't look him in the eyes. "Yeah, I know. Tell the others I'm fine, alright?"

He felt Brendon's arms around his waist. Brendon squeezed him quickly. "I thought we were like brothers. But Tyler is more important to you. Goodbye, Josh."

Josh swallowed. "I'm sorry, Bren. Be careful."

Brendon hung his head and nodded. Josh didn't hold back the tears when his friend left the room.


	11. Brendon's secret

Brendon was sad. He wasn't angry at Josh, he was just sad and disappointed. He understood Josh's need to stay with Tyler, he really did -he himself was not better, was he?- but he thought he would have been more important to Josh. He knew he wanted to be friends with Josh since the day he knocked him over. Although the other didn't talk as much as Brendon, Brendon enjoyed his company. He thought about all they nights the sat next to each other, staring at the campfire, Brendon talking as always and Josh listening.

Brendon understood, but it still hurt. He risked everything to get him out of the castle and he had nearly been seen when he left through the secret passage, just to help his friend.

But Josh didn't want his help. He wanted only one thing and that was a boy with brown hair and full lips. The most powerful man in this kingdom.

Brendon didn't notice he was crying until he felt the tears on his cheeks. He had lost a friend.

He didn't hurry to get back to the camp, altough it was really late. The forest was dark, but Brendon was not afraid of the dark. He was afraid of being left by the ones he loved.

He decided to forget about Josh. He wasn't important. Gerard was important. And Frank. And Pete and Patrick. They were his friends.

"Brendon!" Gerard said with a sigh of relief when Brendon reached the camp. "I was worried about you."

Brendon ignored him and walked towards the cabin. He hoped Gerard wouldn't notice the tears on his face.

But Gerard noticed. Of course he did.

He grabbed Brendon's arm when he rushed by.

"What's wrong, Bren?"

Brendon shook his head. "Let's go inside." he whispered.

Gerard followed him inside, concern written all over his face.

The others looked up when the boys entered the cabin. They only had a few candles in the cabin, so it was too dark for the others to notice Brendon's tears at first.

Gerard closed the door. "Brendon's back." he said.

The others nodded. Brendon sat down on the floor and buried his head in his hands.

"Why are you crying?" Patrick asked. "Is something wrong with Josh?"

"He's fine!" Brendon spat. "He's fucking fine!"

Pete placed a hand on his back. "Calm down, dude, what's wrong?"

Brendon sobbed and wiped his tears away angrily. "He's fine, he's busy with kissing Tyler."

Everybody stared at him. Brendon laughed. "What? He loves him, didn't you notice?"

"How should we notice? He was away the whole time…" Frank said.

"Brendon, are you jealous?" Gerard asked.

Brendon shook his head. "No. But I'm hurt, because he wanted to stay with Tyler instead of coming with me back to the camp."

Silence. Brendon looked in the shocked faces of the others. He smiled unhappily. "He's a shitty friend, isn't he?"

"Brendon." Gerard swallowed. "Brendon. How to you know these things?"

"Well, I talked to him."

"You-" Pete coughed loudly. "You _talked_ to him? _How?_ "

"Uh…" Brendon stammered. "I, uh, I walked into the castle…through, uh…through a secret passage?" he said quietly.

"A secret passage?" Gerard asked, his face calm and expressionless.

Brendon bit his lip. "Yeah…there's a secret passage…in the castle…"

Gerard took a deep breath. "How long did you know about this secret passage?"

"I…" Brendon blushed. "Since Dallon told me when I visited him a few days ago…"

The others gasped.

"Brendon!" Gerard yelled. "You met with Dallon? _Dallon!?_ Without telling us!? Are you fucking crazy?"

Brendon flinched. "I'm…I'm sorry, I-"

"You FUCKING asshole!" Gerard shouted. "I can't believe it! You lied to us, the whole time!"

Brendon stood up. "It's not my fault, I just wanted to help him!"

"Did you-" Gerard growled angrily and pushed him backwards. "Did you ever think about what you're risking with talking to the- the _king's adviser!?"_

"I can trust Dallon." Brendon answered.

"You risked our safety!" Gerard tugged his own hair. "Are you stupid? It's Dallon, for god's sake! You can't trust him! I didn't expect you to be so damn stupid."

Brendon teared up. "Pete, you understand me, right? I love him."

Pete shook his head. "No. I can't believe it. You're a liar. I trusted you. We were friends, Bren."

"But…we are friends…" Brendon stammered.

Pete sighed. "I don't think so, Bren."

Brendon stood in the middle of the cabin, tears dripping from his face. He stared at his _friends,_ the only people he loved beside Dallon.

Gerard crossed his arms. Brendon looked at Patrick. "Pat…you are my friend right?"

The sandy brunette bit on his lip. Brendon sobbed. "Alright." he whispered. "Alright. I'll leave."

He turned and ran out of the cabin into the forest.

 

                                               -----

 

Josh knocked at Tyler's door. He glanced at Jack who stood behind him, one hand on his sword.

Jack glared at him. Josh shrugged and decided to ignore him. The door opened. Tyler smiled at him.

"Josh!"

Josh smiled back. Tyler left his room and grabbed his hand. "Follow me, Josh."

Jack wanted to follow them, but Tyler stopped him. "I don't need you right now, Jack. You can…go to bed or whatever…"

Jack grimaced but bowed in front of Tyler and disappeared. Tyler dragged Josh to a spiral staircase.

"Where are we going?" Josh asked.

Tyler pointed at the ceiling. "Roof. I want to show you the stars."

They followed the staircase and came to a balcony on the roof. Tyler lay down with Josh next to him. Josh looked at the sky. Millions of stars blinked over his head. It was beautiful.

"Can you see that?" Tyler whispered and pointed at a very bright star. Josh nodded. "I want to give you this star. It's yours now."

Josh smiled. "Does the sky belong to you?"

Tyler grinned and interwined their fingers. "The sky over my kingdom. The rest is Ryan's."

"Ryan?" Josh asked confused.

"My enemy. I don't want to talk about him." Tyler answered. He turned on his side so he faced Josh.

"You are beautiful, Josh, you know that?" he said softly.

Josh blushed. "Thank you, Tyler." he said quietly.

Tyler touched Josh's lips with his fingers. "I want to kiss you, Josh."

Josh swallowed and leaned to Tyler until their lips touched. This kiss was even better than the last one. Josh never thought a night full of stars could be so romantic.

Tyler rested his temple against Josh's. "I love you, Josh." he whispered.

Josh closed his eyes and sighed happily. "I love you too."


	12. Pathetic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short filler chapter today. I'm sorry I probably won't update every day until next week because I'm very busy, I hope you don't mind.

Brendon stumbled through the dark forest. He was crying and shaking and he just wanted to leave everything behind. Everybody saw just the always happy, always laughing Brendon. Nobody knew he could be hurt, too.

And he was hurt, so hurt. First, he lost Josh and then his other friends. He wasn't important. He was nothing.

Gerard had Frank. Pete had Patrick. Josh had Tyler. And Brendon? He was hopeless in love with Dallon, but he had to keep this secret. At least, he had tried...

Brendon just wanted to fall into Dallon's arms, to embrace the tall man and cry into his shoulder, but he couldn't, _he couldn't,_ because he was wanted and he was a thief and he couldn't risk it to get caught by the king's soldiers. He knew, Dallon couldn't protect him. Brendon cried even more when he remembered Dallon's words. He had heard them too often to forgot them.

_"I love you, Brendon. I really do. But we can't keep our relationship secret forever. Somebody will notice. And they'll kill you and I can't protect you. I love you, but you need to go."_

Brendon was stubborn, he came back to Dallon every time he said it, he ignored Dallon's begs to find another lover. He came back every single time Dallon pushed him away. But now, Brendon understood why Dallon had pushed him away. It wasn't because he loved Brendon. It was because Brendon hurt and lied to everyone he loved. It was because Brendon was pathetic, useless, a burden. Dallon was Tyler's friend and he'd stay by his side. Brendon was not worth to risk it.

Maybe Gerard was right. Maybe he couldn't trust Dallon. But Brendon had lost Gerard, too. He was alone and he was desperated to find some love in his life. Someone who loved him. A real friend, a real lover, but nobody wanted Brendon. He was pathetic, pathetic, _pathetic._

 

                                               -----

 

"Brendon!" Pete shouted. "Bren, where are you?"

He was scared and he felt awful for all the things he had said to Brendon. He wanted to fix it, but he couldn't find Brendon in this goddamn dark forest.

"Brendon!" he shouted again. His voice was already hoarse, but he didn't care. Patrick, who walked next to him, squeezed his hand. "We'll find him, Pete, don't worry."

Pete turned to him. The moonlight was refracted in his tears. Patrick wiped his tears away. "It'll be fine."

Pete took a deep breath. "I feel awful."

They heard breathing and footsteps and Frank and Gerard walked to them. "Have you found him?" Gerard asked. Pete saw the worry in his face when he shook his head.

"We'll continue our search." Gerard said. "We won't stop until we find him." Nobody disagreed.

They kept on shouting Brendon's name, until they heard a quiet "Over here."

They stumbled to Brendon. He was sitting on the leaves, hair messy, eyes red and puffy. He looked miserable.

"Brendon." Pete mumbled. Brendon sobbed and avoided his gaze. Pete dropped on his knees and hugged him. It was a long embrace and Brendon cried into his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Bren. I'm so sorry. All the things I said…non of it is true." he whispered. "You're my friend and you'll always be."

Brendon looked up. "Really?" he asked with a shaky voice.

Pete nodded. "Of course. You love Dallon and I love Patrick and that's okay."

Frank patted Brendon's back. "We're your friends. And friends care for each other."

"I…I thought I was pathetic and…and…" Brendon sobbed.

"You're not pathetic, Bren." Gerard said. "We have to talk about the things that happened, but we'll find a solution. And I'm sorry I yelled at you."

This made Brendon burst out in tears. "I thought I'd be alone for the rest of my life."

"You're not alone." Patrick said softly. "We're here."

Gerard nodded. "Patrick's right. We're not flawless and we make faults, but we'll stay by your side, whatever happens. We're a family."

Brendon grabbed Pete's hand who helped him to get up. He saw the quiet apology in his friend's eyes. He showed a watery smile.

"Thank you…for supporting me." he mumbled.

Pete swallowed and smiled back. "Everytime, man."

It was an insecure smile, but it was a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, there's much more angst in this fic than I expected...and it's gonna be worse


	13. Joshler talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is super short, but I want a slower burn than I planned, so...here's another short chapter...I hope the next ones are longer

Tyler woke up with Josh in the same bed. It was an amazing feeling, another person next to him. He closed his eyes and felt Josh's warmth and heard him breathing. They had kissed the whole night, until Tyler fell asleep, Josh's arm resting on his waist. Right now, Tyler listened to Josh's soft snoring. It was easy to forget all his worries with Josh. He didn't care about his enemy Ryan or the gang. He just thought about Josh's soft lips, his brown eyes and-

Tyler opened his eyes when Josh pecked his lips. He smiled at the other. Josh grinned, knelt over Tyler and started to tickle him.

"Oh Josh, get off me!" Tyler giggled. Josh poked his side and he thought his chest would burst with love when he heard Tyler's angelic laugh.

Tyler squirmed under Josh's hands and begged him to stop, still giggling like a child. Tears were leaking from his eyes and he gasped for breath when Josh stopped and set him free.

He kissed Tyler and ran his hand through his fluffy hair.

"I love you." Tyler mouthed. Josh grinned and pressed a soft kiss on his cheek. Tyler couldn't believe how lucky he was with this beautiful boy.

 

                                               ------

"Are you happy?" Tyler asked.

Josh nodded. He studied Tyler's face, every single inch of his skin. His heart was full of love, but there was a part of his mind, a part that reminded him of his friends. He was eager to see his friends again, he missed them. He missed Brendon and Pete and Patrick and Frank and Gerard… He loved Tyler, but he couldn't fill the hole in Josh's chest. A part of his heart belonged to his friends and Josh knew it, but he knew, Tyler wouldn't let him go.

"You know, I wish you'd stay with me, Josh." Tyler sighed.

Josh smiled. "Well, I don't think I have a choice."

He regretted his words as soon as Tyler stared at him. Hurt was written all over his face.

"I…I thought…I thought you'd stay with me because you love me." he stammered.

Josh grabbed his hands and squeezed them slightly. "It was a joke, Tyler. I love you. And I'll stay with you. When Brendon…" he stopped.

Tyler furrowed his brows. "Brendon? He's part of the gang, right? What do you mean: When Brendon…?"

Josh coughed. "Nothing. Everything's alright."

Tyler pointed to the bed. "Sit down and tell me about Brendon. Please."

Josh hesitated. He trusted Tyler, but he was careful. He didn't want to reveal the place of the camp or other secrets. He had to remind himself that, no matter how much he loved Tyler, he was still the enemy of the gang.

Josh sat down on the bed next to Tyler. "What do you want to know about him?"

Tyler saw how tensed Josh was. "Dude, relax. I don't want to tell me secrets about your friends, I wish you would, but I know you're to loyal to do that. Just tell me about your friends. What they are like."

Josh sighed. "Well, first of all, there's Gerard. You know him." Tyler grimaced. Josh smiled. "He's sassy, but a good guy. And he loves Frank. And Pete is another member of the gang. He's in love with Patrick. Patrick is very cute and very short."

Tyler giggled. "Shorter than you?"

Josh nodded. Tyler laughed. "Unbelievable!"

"Yeah. And last but not least, Brendon. He's the forehead-guy and he curses a lot…" Josh trailed off and sighed sadly.

"What's wrong?" Tyler asked.

"I miss him." Josh mumbled. "I miss them all. We had an argument before I…before I got arrested."

Tyler hugged him. Josh sobbed and clung to Tyler's shirt. "I am a bad friend."

Tyler shook his head. "No, you're not. You're not."


	14. The secret passage

Brendon sat under a big tree, it was an oak and the trunk was thick and rough. Brendon had always loved that tree, it was at least one hundert years old. The oak stood at the end of the clearing, where their camp was and it was the perfect possibility to have an overview. Right now, Pete sat on one of the limbs and threw small acorns at him. Brendon groaned when another acorn hit his head. He blinked and looked up to Pete who was grinning down at him. Brendon rubbed over the spot where the acorn had hit him.

"Stop it, Pete." he growled.

Pete grinned and threw another one. It hit Brendon's shoulder. Brendon was sure his shoulder would be bruised the next day. He stood up and glared at Pete. "Stop it!"

Pete laughed and a handful of acorns hit Brendon's upper body. Brendon groaned again and started to climb. Pete started to climb higher when he saw what Brendon was doing. Soon, he was to high for Brendon to reach. Panting, Brendon sat down on the limb Pete had sitten before and stared at him. Pete grinned and dangled his legs.

"That's not funny!" Brendon said, but he couldn't hide a smile.

"Well…" Pete yawned. "You lied at me. You have to pay for it. I'm still angry at you."

Brendon snorted. "And you think throwing things at me is the solution?"

Pete laughed. "It works pretty well. I would've slapped you, but Patrick convinced me not to do it."

Brendon sighed. "Where is he?"

"Sleeping in the cabin."

Both boys stayed silent for a few minutes. Brendon shifted and looked up. "Pete?"

Pete lay down on the limb and stared down to Brendon.

Brendon hesitated. "I'm sorry. I was an asshole. I shouldn't have lied."

Pete sighed. "Yeah…it wasn't okay, but…I know how love works. I'd die if I couldn't see Patrick or kiss him or hug him…but…why him? Why Dallon of all things?"

Brendon bit on his lip and stared down at the clearing. "I don't know. Love isn't logical. I just love him. I miss him so much."

Pete nodded. "I know. But you know you promised Gerard to stay with us until we've figured out what to do."

Brendon sighed again, but he didn't complain.

"Hey guys." Patrick stood under the tree and looked up to them.

Pete smiled. "Wanna join us?"

Patrick nodded. He jumped, but he was too small to reach the lowest limb. After a few unsuccessful attempts, he stopped. "Pete! I need help."

Pete chuckled slightly. "I'll help you, darling." he climbed down and jumped on the ground. Patrick smiled and kissed him.

Brendon rolled his eyes. "Get your asses up here, idiots."

Pete flicked him off and grabbed Patrick's waist. He held him up and Patrick climbed on the tree.

"Thanks, Pete."

Pete grinned. "You are welcome."

 

                                               -----

 

Josh tapped his fingers on the window. He was restless. He wanted to see his friends, but he didn't know how he could get out of the castle without anybody noticing.

With a knock the door opened and the young maid stepped in. She set a jug down on the table and ran a hand through her long hair.

Josh stared at her and suddenly, he had an idea. The maid wanted to leave, but Josh grabbed her wrist.

"What's wrong?" The maid asked.

Josh took a deep breath. "I need your help."

 

                                               -----

 

It was risky, the maid thought. If they got caught…but the maid wanted to help Josh. He was a nice guy, always respectful towards her and she felt sorry for him, but that was not the main reason she wanted to help him.

The main reason was Tyler. She loved the king, but she wasn't stupid. She had noticed he wasn't interested in her. He was interested in Josh, so the maid couldn't get rid of him soon enough. She hoped he'd go back into the forest, back to his friends and stay there. She wanted the king for herself.

"I know a secret passage." she said. "And I'll help you. But please, don't get caught. And if you get caught, I'll say I didn't know about it, alright?"

Josh nodded. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

 

                                                        -----

 

"I need fresh air." Josh said. Jack glared at him, but nodded and followed him through the hall. Josh's hands shook and he hoped Jack wouldn't notice. They walked down a staircase, when the maid appeared suddenly, a basket full of fruits in her hands. She bumpd into Jack and the basket fell on the floor, fruits rolled over the floor. For a second, Jack was distracted. Josh started to run. He ran as fast as he could to the small room with the secret passage. He reached the door and gasped for breath.

The room was small, just a closet and a giant mirror. Josh grabbed the frame of the mirror and the mirror opened like a door. Josh stared into the dark, small passage. His heart was racing. He entered the passage and the mirror closed behind him.

 

                                                        -----

 

Tyler furrowed his brows. He wanted to go to the throne room, when he saw Josh running through the castle. Why was he running? And where was Jack?

Tyler decided to follow him. He ran after Josh, as quiet as possible. He saw Josh disappearing in a room. Tyler bit on his lip and hesitated. What did he want in this room? There was only one way in. Tyler stared at the door for a few seconds. He'd ask Josh what he wanted to do.

Tyler opened the door and gasped for breath. The room was empty. He entered slowly and closed the door behind him. Where was Josh? Was he hiding in the closet?

Tyler opened the closet. It was empty, regardless of a few old clothes and moths.

Tyler took a deep breath. This was impossible. Josh was no magician, he couldn't disappear like that. And Tyler was sure he was no ghost or something like that. There was only one possibility: a secret passage Tyler didn't know about. He turned around slowly. The closet, the mirror and thick walls. Tyler decided to test the mirror first. He touched the cold surface and pushed carefully, but nothing happened. He grabbed the wooden frame of the mirror and suddenly, the mirror opened like a door. Tyler gasped for breath and stared at the small passage. It was completely dark inside. Tyler bit his lip. He was scared of dark rooms, but he was curious at the same time. He didn't know there was a secret passage in his castle. How did Josh know about it?

Tyler took a deep breath and stepped into the passage. The mirror behind him closed with a squirk. It was completely dark. Using his hands to feel the walls, Tyler started to walk. 


	15. Words can hurt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This whole situation is messed up and everybody doesn't know how to react in this fic. It's a huge mess.

Josh walked slowly. The passage was very small and he bumped a few times into the walls. Josh had no light, there was only darkness around him.

Suddenly, he thought he heard a quiet 'ouch'. Josh froze and held his breath. Was somebody following him?

His heart was racing. Josh stood there, frozen, a few moments long, but everything was quiet. He decided to hurry to get out of the castle and back to his friends. He wasn't quiet sure if Jack had already noticed he was missing, but he knew he'd have to hurry to get to his friends safely.

The walls were no longer made of stone, it was wet, heavy soil and Josh could feel a warm draft. Soon, he reached the end of the passage, a trapdoor over his head was the exit. He touched the cold grid and pried it open. Leaves fell into the hole and the sun shone onto his face.

Josh climed out of the passage and turned. He was in the forest. Josh sighed in relief and closed the trapdoor. He turned around slowly. He didn't know this part of the forest. Josh decided to walk east.

He looked back a few times. He had the feeling like someone was following him, but whenever he turned, he was alone. He laughed quietly. He was just paranoid.

After an hour, he saw a path that seemed familiar. Josh followed the path and only a few minutes later, he saw the big oak. Then, started to run.

 

                                               -----

 

"Brendon!"

Brendon nearly fell off the tree. It was Josh's voice. He looked down and saw the boy running towards him.

"Josh!" Brendon yelled. Pete and Patrick startled and followed his gaze.

"Holy shit!" Pete said in astonishment. "What is he doing here?"

Brendon jumped down and ran to Josh. He jumped into his arms and held the shorter one close to his chest.

"Josh! Oh my god, I missed you so much!" He placed quick kisses all over his face. "My boyfriend's back!" he joked.

Josh blushed. "Bren, stop it."

Brendon smiled happily and hugged him once again. "I'm so glad you're back."

Pete and Patrick reached the two. Patrick hugged Josh. "I'll get Gee and Frank."

"Fuck, Josh, I thought I'd never see you again." Pete grinned and bumped their fists together. "How did you escape?"

Josh smiled and tried to get Brendon off him, but the boy kept clinging on him. "A maid – Brendon stop it!- helped me to find the secret –Brendon get off me!- passage Brendon had talked about."

Brendon cupped Josh's face with his hands and kissed him on the mouth. Josh gasped and pushed him playfully. "Yeah, I missed you, too, but you don't have to-"

"Josh!" Gerard and Frank hugged him and tousled his hair. "How did you escape?"

"Through the secret passage." Josh repeated.

"That's sick!" Brendon laughed. "I forgot to tell you where the entry of the passage was when I left."

Josh smiled. "Fortunately, the maid knew where it was. But thank you for visiting me, Bren. I know I wasn't very nice and I'm sorry."

Brendon sighed. "It's okay. You're back now and that's all that matters."

"What about the fucking asshole of a king?" Gerard asked and furrowed his brows. "I thought…"

Josh shook his head. "It's not like it seems, guys. I-"

"It was an awesome plan, Josh." Pete said approving. "Making him believe you love him."

Gerard nodded. "Yeah, I can't believe he thought you'd love him. But he deserves it. He wanted to execute you."

Josh opened his mouth. "Guys…"

Brendon grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I know it was hard for you, Josh. To pretend…And to kiss him. It must've been terrible. I bet he was disgusting. Don't worry, he's pathetic and he deserves it."

 

                                               -----

 

Tyler had followed Josh. First of all, he thought he should talk to him as soon as they left this dark passage, but then he was curious where Josh'd go. He decided to follow him carefully. Josh seemed to feel his presence but he didn't notice Tyler.

Tyler could move really quiet if he wanted to. He was like a shadow, who followed Josh through the forest to the clearing.

"Brendon!"

Tyler flinched when Josh yelled the name. He slipped behind a tree and stared at the clearing. He saw a campfire and a wooden cabin. It was the camp, he realized. The hiding place of the gang.

A boy jumped from a tree and hugged Josh. Tyler stared at them in shock when the boy placed kisses all over Josh's face.

"My boyfriend's back!" the boy, Brendon, said.

Tyler felt like someone had hit him. _Boyfriend?_

_But Josh is my boyfriend!_ he thought. _He loves me!_

He heard the boys laughing and saw them hugging Josh. Josh smiled and he seemed happy. Tyler was frozen in shock, when Brendon kissed Josh, _his_ Josh. He could swear he heard his heart shatter into a million pieces. He teared up. What was happening?

His mind replayed the moment in a loop. He didn't hear what the boys talked until the leader of the gang spoke.

"What about the fucking asshole of a king? I thought…"

"It's not like it seems, guys." Josh said.

Tyler couldn't believe it. He felt the tears streaming down his face and he sobbed. He could barely hear the rest of the conversaion.

…awesome plan…making him believe you love him…kiss him…disgusting…he's pathetic…

Tyler started shaking. He was hurt by the mean words and he was broken.

_Josh doesn't love you. He thinks you're disgusting. You're pathetic!_

Tyler pressed a hand on his mouth and turned. He wanted to die, right now, right here, but he started to run.

He just wanted to get away from this place, back to his castle.

Tyler sobbed loudly while he ran through the forest, back to the passage. He knew he was broken and nobody could fix him ever again.


	16. Broken hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoped Josh would go home and they'd talk and everything would be fine? Well, that's not gonna happen, hehe

"Guys!" Josh yelled, when the others didn't shut up. "I love Tyler."

Pete stared at him. "But the plan…"

Josh sighed in annoyance. "There is no plan. I didn't make Tyler believe I love him and you know why?" His voice grew louder with every word. "Because I love him with all my heart. And I know you don't like him, because he's the king, but I do. I kissed him because I _wanted_ to. And he's an amazing kisser, probably better than all of you. And by the way, he isn't pathetic! Stop saying that, or I swear to god…"

Nobody knew what to say after Josh's outburst. Josh stared at them angrily.

Finally, Gerard cleared his throat. "We didn't want to offend you."

"Well, you did." Josh said bitterly. "I'm just glad he didn't hear that. He'd be heartbroken. You don't know him, you just hate him because he's the king, but he's actually very insecure." He sighed. "If it wasn't for this stupid feud, I think you all would get along with him."

"So why did you come back?" Brendon said shyly.

"Because you're my friends." Josh answered softly. "You're like my family. I missed you and I wanted to see you."

"I guess you're not going to stay with us?" Gerard asked.

Josh shook his head. "No, I can't."

Frank looked at Josh. "So, you're safe with Tyler?" he asked worried.

Josh smiled. "He loves me. He'd never hurt me."

 

                                               -----

Tyler found the passage after a quick search. He opened the trapdoor and climbed into the hole. He wasn't scared walking back to the castle in the darkness, he was to busy with thinking about Josh's words.

He couldn't describe what he felt. It was a mixture of sadness and disappointment. No, that weren't the right words to describe his feelings.

He was broken. He was so broken, he couldn't stop crying all the way back to the castle. His heart ached and he was so hurt by Josh's words, he thought he'd fall in pieces right here.

He thought Josh loved him, cared for him. But Josh thought he was disgusting. A burden.

Tyler was nothing more than a burden. He was bad and worthless and pathetic.

Tyler sobbed and stumbled. He felt stone under his hands and when he stood up, he banged his head against the ceiling of the passage. He didn't feel the pain. he just felt the pain of his heart.

But the closer he came to the castle, the angrier he got. His sadness turned into anger and his anger into hate. He hated Josh. Tyler hated him.

He had trusted Josh and Josh had just played games with him. He acted like he cared about Tyler and why? Just because he knew Tyler would save him from the execution. And now, he was back at the side of his _boyfriend_.

Tyler laughed angrily. Josh thought he was safe now? No, he was not. And Tyler would do anything to make Josh pay for the way he broke his heart.

 

                                               -----

 

"We'll still be friends, right?" Josh asked.

The gang nodded. "Of course."

Josh looked at the sky. It was getting dark. "I need to go back."

Brendon hugged him. "I'll miss you, Josh."

Josh smiled sadly. "I'll miss you, too."

He said goodbye to the others and walked back to the trapdoor. He hurried to get back to the castle.

Josh thought about an excuse for his disappearance, but his mind was blank. His heart was racing when he opened the mirror and climbed back into the room. He hesitated for a moment and opened the door.

Nobody was outside and Josh left the room and started to walk to his bedroom. Suddenly, he heard voices and footsteps. Josh froze when he saw the king walking down the hall, followed by Jack. Josh took a step backwards to hide behind a column, but Tyler looked up and met his gaze.

 

                                               -----

 

Tyler stared at Josh for an entire minute. The other stood in the hall, motionless like a statue and Tyler saw the fear written all over his face.

_What is he doing here? Why is he back?_ Tyler asked himself. _What if…ohhh…_

Realization hit him. _He wants to continue his game. But I'm not a fair player._  he thought angrily.

Tyler took a few steps closer. He crossed his arms and straightened up. He was glad he was a few inches taller than Josh.

"Where were you?" he asked, his voice as cold as ice. "Jack said you ran away."

"Uh…" Josh stammered. "I…I wanted…I needed some time for myself."

Tyler took a deep breath and faked a smile. "Well, I'm glad you're back."

"Uh…really?" Josh asked, confused because he had expected to be at least lectured or worse.

"Yeah." Tyler smiled but then his smile disappeared and he showed his anger and hate. "I trusted you. I thought you'd love me, but I'm not loveblind anymore." he spat.

Josh's eyes widened. "What? I…I do love you!"

Tyler shook his head angrily. "No, you don't. Stop pretending like you care about me. You just care about yourself. But I'm tired of your games."

He looked at Jack, who grinned satisfied. "Put him in the deepest dungeon we have and make sure he can't escape. You'll watch him better this time I hope. He'll be executed as soon as the sun rises."

Tyler nearly regretted his words when he saw Josh's shocked face, but then he remembered all the things Josh said about him and suddenly, his heart was cold and numb.

Jack grabbed Josh's arm and started to drag the shocked boy down the hall. Before they left the room, Josh turned.

"Tyler, listen to me! I love you!" he cried desperated. Tyler ignored his inner pain when he heard Josh's heartbroken voice.

"You don't!" he yelled. "You never loved me! You're a liar!"

Jack yanked Josh forward through the door. "Please!" Josh whimpered. "Tyler, please!"

But Tyler stared at him angrily and didn't answer. The door closed behind them, but Tyler could hear Josh screaming his name again and again.

He pressed his hands on his ears to shut his voice out. He was shaking.

Tyler turned and ran back to his room, where he broke down crying.


	17. Enemies or friends?

Josh was shocked. He didn't even react when Jack dragged him through the castle down to the dungeons. He followed Jack down to the deepest dungeon. His mind was racing. Why did Tyler want to kill him? Why did he think Josh wouldn't love him?

His thoughts were interrupted when Jack stopped. Josh looked around. The room was tiny with an iron door. Jack grinned and stepped out of the room and locked the door. "You will die, thief." he whispered through the grid. "Have a good time."

He laughed loudly and left. Josh stared at the door. He grabbed the grid and pushed, but the door was locked. Josh turned. The room was dark and had no window. The only light was a torch outside the prison cell.

Josh sat down on the floor. The stone was cold and wet. Josh pulled his knees to his chest and allowed the tears to spill out of his eyes.

He was scared. The longer he sat in the dark, the more scared he got.

Josh started to feel every single bit of his body. He felt his heart pumping the blood through his veins, heard the water rushing through his flesh, felt every single breeze on his skin. He wanted to feel his body as much possible, he wanted to feel himself as long as he could, because tomorrow…tomorrow he'd be dead.

                                                        -----

 

Dallon entered Tyler's room without waiting for his permission.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Tyler sat on his bed. Dallon saw his wet cheeks, but he didn't ask about it.

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked defiant.

Dallon walked to the window and stared down to the soldiers in the yard. "Oh, don't act like that! You know exactly what I mean! What's this shit with Josh?"

"I don't know why you act so confused." Tyler answered.

Dallon turned and stared angrily at the boy. "What!? A few days ago you kissed him and now you want to kill him! Are you fucking insane?!"

Tyler crossed his arms. "He's a criminal, he just gets his lawful punishment."

Dallon shook his head. "What did he do to you? Is it because he went god knows where today? He came back, remember?"

Tyler didn't answer. Dallon sighed. "He loves you."

Tyler stood up. "No, he doesn't!" he spat. "He's a liar!"

"So he broke your heart." Dallon stated.

Tyler avoided his gaze.

"C'mon Tyler." Dallon said softly. "You can't kill him, just because he doesn't love you back. And, to be honest, I don't think he stopped loving you."

"What do you know about love, Dallon? Nothing!" Tyler yelled. "I don't care about him! He's not important to me! He said terrible things about me!"

"I know about love, Tyler." Dallon answered sadly. "More than you know. Don't push away the ones you love. It is the biggest mistake someone can make. Your love was meant to be, you can be with him for the rest of your life! Don't throw that away! I know you're hurt, but killing him is not the solution. I know you're smart, don't act so stupid."

Tyler glared at him. Dallon had never seen him so angry. He could tell the boy was hurt, but the hate in his eyes made him back away.

"Get out of my room." Tyler growled. "Before I lose my temper."

"But…" Dallon protested.

"Get out!" Tyler shouted. Dallon turned and ran out of the room. He walked quickly through the hall, down to the dungeon. He knew what to do. He couldn't let Tyler win, not this time.

 

                                               -----

 

Josh wanted to be brave. He really wanted to be not the scared mess he was. He wanted to be brave and not to be sitting in the cold prison cell on the floor, shivering and crying.

Suddenly, he heard quiet voices. Two persons talked in the staircase. The whisper grew louder, but Josh couldn't understand the words. Then, he heard a thump and then silence filled the room for a few minutes.

"Josh." somebody whispered suddenly.

Josh flinched and looked to the iron door. He saw a person standing on the other side of the grid. He stood up hesitantely.

He heard the sound of a key in the lock. The door opened with a squirk and the light of a torch fell on the floor. Josh squinted and blinked a few times. A hand grabbed his arm and somebody dragged him out of the cell.

"Hurry." the person whispered.

"Dallon?" Josh asked disbelieving when he recognized the voice.

"We have to get you out of here." Dallon answered.

"Wait!" Josh said and withdrew his arm. They stopped in the middle of the staircase.

"Josh, we have to hurry or they'll notice that the cell is empty." Dallon pushed.

Josh shook his head. "No, I want to know what you're doing."

Dallon sighed impatiently. "I'm helping you to escape. I'll tell you more on the way out. Follow me."

He hurried upstairs and Josh had to run to follow him. Suddenly, he stumbled over something. He fell and his hands touched cold skin. Josh supressed a scream. "Dallon!" he hissed. Dallon stopped and turned. "What's wrong?" he whispered.

"I think I tripped over a body." Josh whispered back. Dallon held the torch towards Josh and he saw a man lying on the stairs. His eyes were closed and Josh saw some blood on his temple. He gasped.

"Dallon, that's Jack!"

Dallon nodded. "I know. I knocked him down. Don't worry, he's alive. But we need to be gone before he wakes up."

He grabbed Josh's hand and started to walk upstairs. Josh followed him, still shocked and confused.

They reached the end of the staircase quickly. Dallon threw the torch down the stairs and opened the door with the keys. He looked carefully outside and closed the door quickly when he heard footsteps. Both men held their breath when two soldiers walked by. Josh's heart was racing. After a minute, they were gone and Dallon opened the door again.

"We need to go to the room with the secret passage." he said.

They walked through the castle, always hiding in rooms or behind columns when people walked by. Finally, they reached the room.

Josh released a deep breath when they closed the door and stood on front of the mirror. Dallon opened the door to the secret passage and climbed in. Josh followed him quickly.

"Shit! I forgot how dark this passage is. We could need a torch." Dallon mumbled. "Just stay close behind me."

They started to walk slowly.

"Dallon, why are you doing this? And why do you know about the secret passage? And why is Tyler angry at me?" Josh asked.

Dallon sighed. "I don't know. Tyler said you said some terrible things about him. He's hurt and heartbroken and his pain turned into hate. He hates you for breaking his heart."

"But…" Josh stammered. "I didn't say anything bad about him."

Dallon shrugged (Josh couldn't see it, it was too dark). "I don't know. I just know he wants to kill you. And I don't thinks that's right. You don't deserve to be executed, so I help you to escape. When Jack wakes up, he'll tell Tyler about it, so I can't go back."

"I'm sorry." Josh mumbled.

"Don't worry." Dallon said softly. "I've someone waiting for me at the camp...Brendon showed me the secret passage." he continued.

"Brendon!?" Josh asked confused.

Dallon chuckled slightly. "Yeah. I love him and he loves me. He always walked through this passage to get to me without somebody something. I don't know why he knew about it, but he talks to the villagers a lot, so…"

"Wait, you and Brendon are a thing?" Josh asked quickly.

"I love him more than I can put in words." Dallon said simply.

"Wow…" Josh exhaled loudly. "That was…unexpected."

The other laughed. "You'll get used to it. And now, hurry up, I want to see my boyfriend."


	18. The letter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter today, sorry

"Your majesty!"

Jack burst through the door. Tyler stopped playing the ukulele and placed it on his bed with annoyed sigh. "Jack. What do you want? You should watch our prisoner."

"Your majesty, I…he's…Dallon…" Jack stammered.

Tyler furrowed his brows. "What's going on?" he asked confused. Then, he noticed the blood on the other's face.

"Oh my god, what happened?"

"I…he's gone…the boy is gone."

Tyler stood up. "What?!" he yelled. "I told you to watch him!"

Jack raised his hands and took a few steps backwards. "I…your majesty…Dallon…Dallon helped him."

Tyler chuckled dryly. "Sure."

"But…he did!" Jack protested.

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Very funny." he spat. "I'll tell Dallon what you said about him. He won't be very pleased. And I'm neither. And you let escape Josh the second time…you'll feel the consequences!"

Tyler rushed through the door and walked quickly to Dallon's room. He opened the door without knocking (he was king, he didn't have to knock, but he did it usually just because it felt wrong and he was a friendly person – although nobody except Dallon seemed to care how often Tyler got startled when they rushed through his door) and stepped in. "Dallon?"

The room was empty. Tyler sighed. He must be somewhere else.

Tyler ended up running through the castle shouting Dallon's name and asking everybody where he was. Nobody had seen him.

After half an hour, Tyler returned to his room. Jack sat on his bed (his bed! His subjects were so impertinent) and wiped the blood from his face. Tyler decided to lecture him later. He sat down on a chair and sighed.

"I can't find Dallon."

Jack nodded. "I told you he's gone." he said with a face like he had all the wisdom of the world.

"No, you didn't." Tyler answered irritated. "You just said he helped Josh to escape, which I don't believe."

"But he did." Jack answered and pointed at his face. "He knocked me down and took the keys to the cell and he and the boy left the castle."

"Why should he do that?" Tyler asked.

Jack shrugged. "I don't know, your majesty."

Tyler bit on his lip. Dallon's betrayal hurt him. He had trusted Dallon and now he was alone. Everybody left him. Tyler was on his own, only the useless soldier by his side. Tyler looked at Jack with disgust. He didn't like the man, he was too stuck up and to rude. Tyler had seen him more than one time smacking the maid's butt.

Tyler felt miserable. He wanted to break down and cry, he wanted to get rid of his pain, but he couldn't. He had to act strong. He was the king.

So, Tyler decided to ignore his feelings until he knew what to do. He opened his mouth when the young maid entered the room. She had an envelope in her hands.

"There's a letter for you, your majesty." she said softly.

Tyler groaned. "Oh no, not now!"

The maid didn't care about his rude remark. Tyler looked down on the envelope in his hands and stared at the red wax seal.

He cursed under his breath. He knew who's seal it was. It was Ryan's. "I don't need another problem."

He pointed at Jack and the maid. "Get out!"

"But…What about Dallon? And the Boy?" Jack protested.

"I care about it later." Tyler said impatiently. They left the room without another word. Tyler sighed when the door closed. He walked to his desk, sat down and opened the letter.

 

_Dear Tyler,_

 

Tyler laughed dryly. He hated Ryan and Ryan hated him, but Ryan loved to write sarcastically.

 

_I don't want to beat around the bush: The forest in the west belongs to my kingdom and I won't accept your rejection to give it to me any longer. You have the choice: Either you agree to hand this part over to me, or I will declare war on you._

Tyler coughed. War?!

 

_To make sure you think about it and don't ignore me like you always do, I will visit you in a few days. I am aware you don't want to see me, trust me, I want to see you neither, but this is the only way to settle the things between us. I just try to avoid a war, but I want you to know: I have a big army, big enough to destroy your tiny kingdom if I want._

_Choose wisely, Tyler. I know you're smart and I'm sure you'll make the right decision._

 

_Sincerely,_

_King George Ryan Ross III._

Tyler finished the letter. For a minute, he just sat on the chair and stared at the words. Then, anger boiled up in him. He stood up and screamed.


	19. Revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry

Tyler screamed for an hour. He released all his anger, his hate, his pain and his sadness. Tyler was always a kind guy, quiet and insecure, acting strong and a bit sassy when he was pissed off, but he didn't feel like himself right now. It was like the shy boy was replaced by a young man, full of bitterness and hate, a cover up for his hurt feelings. His kind heart was no longer full of love, it was dark and filled with nothing than hate. At the end, he felt pity for himself and he wanted to take revenge on all the people who hurt or made fun of him. He wanted to take revenge on Dallon who betrayed him, on Josh who hurt him like no one did before, on Gerard and his whole fucking gang who made fun of him and stole his money and laughed about him.

And he wanted to take revenge on Ryan, for annoying him with his nonsense and for blackmailing him. Tyler wouldn't agree to his deal. If Ryan wanted war, why not? Tyler wasn't weak, he would fight Ryan with his own hands if he needed to. But he would care about Ryan later.

The gang was more important right now. Tyler new the place of their camp and he would take advantage of it. He already had a plan.

 

                                               -----

 

Brendon was happy. Dallon was with him and loved him and kissed him. The kissing was the best part. Brendon couldn't get enough of him. He stared at his boyfriend, he still thought it was a dream. But it wasn't. Dallon was here and Josh was too and their big "family" was complete.

Dallon ruffled Brendon's hair and whispered in his ear. "I think you should check on Josh. He seems pretty upset."

"Of course he is. Tyler wanted to fucking kill him." Brendon said.

Dallon smiled sadly. "I know, but he's sad and you're his friend. You should comfort him."

Brendon nodded. He stood up and walked to Josh and sat down on the grass next to him.

"How are you?" he asked softly.

Josh sniffed. "I…I still can't believe it. I love him, Brendon. I thought he would love me, too. It hurts so much."

Brendon sighed. "I know…but you should forget that motherfucker."

Josh stared at the grass. "I can't."

Dallon walked to them and sat down on the other side of Josh. "See, Josh, I know it hurts a lot. Whatever happened to Tyler, it changed him. I know him for a long time, he's my best friend, but right now…he is not himself. This…person ain't the Tyler I know. Normally, he's all cute and shy and insecure, but he changed his personality. And it's way to dangerous for you to be with him right now. I'm sure he'd choke you to death if he would get the opportunity. You're safe here, and I'm too. We have to wait until Tyler changes his mind."

"And what if he won't?" Josh asked with tears in his eyes.

Dallon placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it slightly. "He will, Josh. Behind the mask of hate he's wearing right now…he still loves you and I know that."

Josh wiped his eyes. "Thank you." he mumbled.

Gerard cleared his throat. "We have to know what Tyler plans to do. He won't let you go like this, Josh. I'm sure he has a plan. And we have to know it."

Pete nodded. "Yeah, Gee is right. I think it's best thing to go to the village and try to find out what he's planning."

"Excately." Gerard stood up. "We'll go to the town and talk to the villagers. But we have to be careful: We don't know if Josh and Dallon are wanted now."

Everybody except Patrick stood up.

"Guys…" Patrick said. "I'd love to go with you, but I could fall asleep right now."

Frank shrugged. "I think we don't need you to go with us, Patrick. We're enough people."

Gerard nodded. "Yeah, it's alright, you can stay."

Patrick smiled. "Thank you guys. I hope you find out what Tyler's plan is."

The others smiled at him.

"See you later." Brendon said and grinned.

Pete cupped Patrick's face with his hands and kissed him. "I'll be back soon, babe."

Patrick closed his eyes and hugged Pete. "Be careful."

Pete nodded. "I will. I love you."

Patrick took a step back and smiled. "I love you too, Pete."

Pete waved and ran to the others. They turned and disappeared in the forest.

 

                                                        -----

 

Tyler looked out of the window down to the yard. His heart was pounding against his rips and his hands were sweaty and shaking.

He watched Jack and the other soldiers getting on their horses and he saw their swords and their daggers.

He swallowed. Suddenly, he wasn't sure about his plan anymore. The soldiers left the yard and Tyler was afraid he made the wrong desicion.

Maybe, he should've gone with them, to avoid a massaker. But he remembered what he told Jack: Don't kill them, I need them alive.

He wasn't sure if Jack would listen to him. Jack hated Josh more than anybody else, because he escaped more than once, although Jack had watched him.

But then, the fear disappeared and only a bitter feeling filled his heart. Whatever happened: they deserved it.

 

                                                                 -----

 

"I don't know what he's going to do." The old man said. "But you're not wanted. Not yet."

Josh sighed and thanked him. He returned to the others, who were waiting at the edge of the wood.

"Something new?" Brendon asked.

Josh shook his head. "No, nothing. It seems like he doesn't care about me."

"That's impossible." Dallon said.

They had talked to the villagers for hours, desperately trying to find out what Tyler had planned next, but nobody knew it.

Josh scratched his head. "I still wonder why he thinks I said mean things about him…the only possibility…"

He gasped and his eyes widened. "He heard the things we said when I talked to you and he didn't hear our whole conversation…"

Pete furrowed his brows. "But…that's only possible if he was there."

Josh stared at him. "I think he was."

"What!?" Brendon asked, shocked.

"He was there, I'm sure…" Josh said slowly. "Which means…he knows the place of our camp…"

The others stared at him petrified.

"No." Frank breathed. "No!"

Josh nodded. "Yes. Which means…"

"Fuck!" Brendon shouted. "We have to get back to the camp! Patrick is there! We have to warn him!"

Pete swallowed. "Patrick." he whispered. He turned and started to run.

 

                                               -----

 

Patrick woke up when he heard voices. Suddenly, the door of the cabin bust open and a man entered.

Patrick sat up quickly. He was still tired and confused. Who was the man?

Before he could react, the man grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the cabin.

"What are you doing?" Patrick asked and tried to escape the man's grip, but the other was way stronger. He dragged Patrick through the door and pushed him. Patrick stumbled and fell. He looked up. The man towered over him and had a large grin on his face. "Well, look at that." he said and laughed.

Patrick flinched and gasped when he recognized him. It was Jack, the king's brutal, merciless soldier. He noticed other soldiers standing next to him. Patrick stared at him, his eyes full of fear.

Jack bent down. "Where are the others?" he asked. Patrick could smell his breath and it made him sick.

"I…I don't know." he whispered fearfully.

"Don't lie to me!" Jack shouted and kicked him. Patrick gasped when his foor hit his ribcage. Jack grabbed his hair and yanked his head back. "Tell me!"

Patrick teared up. "I don't know." he lied.

Jack slapped him. "I'm not playing these stupid games!"

"I don't know!" Patrick repeated and hoped his shaky voice wouldn't reveal him.

Jack's fist hit his face and Patrick felt blood dripping from his nose.

"Tell me!" Jack shouted in rage. "Where. Are. They?"

Patrick pressed his lips together. His face and his rips hurted, but he wouldn't betray his friends.

"Alright." Jack said in a dangerous low voice. "I'll ask you one last time. Where are they?"

Patrick was scared, he thought his heart would stop beating right there, but he kept his mouth shut and shook his head.

Pain exploded in his head when Jack hit him. Patrick gasped.

"Jack, maybe he speaks the truth." One of the other soldiers said.

"Shut the fuck up!" Jack yelled and kicked Patrick again. "He knows it! He knows it!"

Patrick curled himself up to protect himself from Jack's kicks, but the soldiers boot hit his stomach, his ribs and his head. Patrick cried.

"Please!" he begged. "Please! Stop it!"

Suddenly, Jack kelt over him and pressed him down on the grass, one arm over Patrick's shoulders, a shiny dagger in his other hand.

He traced the sharp blade along Patricks lips. Patrick stared at him petrified.

"Maybe this will make you speak." Jack whisperd and grinned. He enjoyed the boy's fear.

Patrick didn't move, he was to afraid oft he man.

"No?" Jack asked softly. "Well, then…"

Suddenly, he stabbed the dagger deep in Patrick's shoulder. Patrick screamed in pain and tried to get away from the soldier, but Jack held him in place. He grabbed the dagger and pushed it deeper. Patrick screamed at the top of his lungs. The pain took his breath away.

"You'll remember me." Jack said with a grin and spat at Patrick. His spit dripped down on the side of Patrick's face and on the ground.

Patrick whimpered. Tears ran down his cheeks. Jack stood up and kicked Patrick one last time. He watched the boy screaming in pain, the dagger still in his shoulder. Jack grinned satisfied and pointed at the other soldiers.

"Set this place on fire." he said.

Patrick blinked slowly. His vision was blurry, he couldn't move and the pain made him whimper.

He saw the flames and smelled the smoke. Then, he lost consciousness.


	20. Leaving the camp

They smelled the smoke before they saw the fire. The boys ran to the clearing, their hearts full of fear, fear of what they'd find. They weren't afraid of being expected by soldiers, they were afraid something happened to Patrick.

The smoke got thicker and thicker. It filled their lungs and made them cough, but they didn't stop. Finally, they reached the clearing.

The wooden cabin was on fire. Ashes fell on their heads like snow. It was hot. They boys stopped and stared at the cabin. Their home.

They knew it was too late. They couldn't save the cabin. It would burn down completely.

"What if Patrick's in there?" Pete asked afraid. "We have to help him!" he started to run, but Frank grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Pete…"

He pointed at a silhouette beneath the big oak. A person lied on the grass. Pete's facial expression turned from afraid to absolutely painful.

"No. Please not…" he whispered. The others kept silent, too shocked to react in any way.

"NO!" Pete screamed. "Oh god, please, no!"

The others had never heard him screaming like this. It was heartbreaking. Brendon teared up. Dallon hold him tight. Josh was frozen. Frank swallowed hardly and Gerard's face showed nothing than hate.

Pete cried and stumbled towards the body. The others followed him slowly. He knelt down next to Patrick, grabbed his shoulders and turned him carefully on his back. Pete sobbed when he saw the dagger in Patrick's shoulder. The grass around him was red with blood. Patrick didn't move.

"He's alive!" Pete shouted when he saw Patrick breathing. "Oh my god, Patrick!"

Patrick's eyes were closed.

"It is a warning." Gerard said, his face expressionless now.

"I don't fucking care what it is!" Pete yelled. "They hurted my boy." He tried to wipe away the blood that was on the injured boy's face. "You're okay, you're gonna be okay, Patrick, I promise…" he mumbled.

"We need to get help." Josh said.

Gerard shook his head. "We can't get help. We have to leave. Now. We're not save here anymore."

"But he can't walk." Josh protested and pointed at Patrick who lied motionless on the grass, eyes still closed.

"Fuck, Gerard, we can't leave him here alone." Pete said.

"Of course we won't." Gerard answered softly. "We'll take him with us, we'll carry him, but we have to leave as soon as possible. The soldiers will come back."

Pete shook his head. "You don't understand. We have to get help, or he'll die."

"But the soldiers…"

Pete stood up and glared at Gerard. "I don't care about the fucking soldiers!" he said. "I'll stay with him! I need to get help."

"I'm the leader of the gang and you will follow my orders, Pete." Gerard said coldly. "And I say: We will leave. Now."

"No. I won't follow your fucking orders, Gerard." Pete spat. "Go without us."

"Pete, don't be stupid." Dallon interrupted. "Gerard is right. We have to go, or else the soldiers will arrest us and kill us all. You can't help Patrick here."

Pete didn't answer, he just stared angrily at Gerard.

"What about a voting?" Josh suggested. "The majority decides what to do."

Gerard sighed. "Alright. Who wants to stay and try to find help for Patrick?"

Pete and Brendon raised their hands.

"Who wants to leave?"

Gerard, Frank, Dallon and finally Josh lifted their hands.

Pete gritted his teeth. "Alright. But we need to find help as soon as we can."

Gerard placed his hand on his shoulder. "Of course."

They turned to Patrick. Pete knelt down again. "We have to get the dagger out of his shoulder."

He grabbed the hilt, took a deep breath and pulled. Patrick screamed. His eyes shot open and rolled into his skull. Pete threw the dagger on the grass and pulled his shirt off. Quickly, he ripped it into pieces.

Blood dripped from the wound. "Brendon, help me!" Pete yelled. Brendon knelt down and sat Patrick up carefully, while Pete bandaged the wound. Patrick groaned in pain, but he was still unconscious.

"I will carry him." Pete said.

"We will switch." Gerard answered. Pete lifted Patrick up carefully. The boys looked one last time at the burning cabin, saying a wordless goodbye to their home and started walking.

 

                                                        -----

 

Tyler looked up as soon as he heard clip-clopping. He had tried to distract himself since Jack left, but it didn't work. He was shaking, his mouth was dry. Tyler ran to the yard, stumbling over his feet. As soon as he saw Jack's satisfied face, he knew he had made a terrible mistake.

"Where are they?" he asked, his voice shaking as his hands.

Jack grinned. "Well…We burned their cabin down. And we catched one of them…the smallest one with the ginger hair…he ended up with a dagger in his shoulder."

"What?!" Tyler breathed.

"He didn't want to tell me where the others were, not even after I punched his pretty face, so…you should've heard how he begged me to stop, your majesty." Jack said confident. "It was pathetic."

Tyler stared at him, mouth opened slightly, shock written all over his face. "Did…did you…kill him?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know, but he seemed pretty dead when we left."

Tyler cried out, his fists hit Jack's upper body, tears were streaming down his face. "What did you do!" he sobbed. "It was…terrible!"

The soldier's smile dropped when Tyler hit him. He catched his wrists easily and glared angrily at him.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he hissed.

Tyler tried to withdrew his hands. "Let me…go!" he sobbed.

"No, fuck you!" Jack spat. "I just followed your orders!"

Tyler couldn't stop the tears. He stared at the soldier. "I didn't tell you…to…to hurt them!"

"No, you didn't!" Jack yelled. "You said I shouldn't kill them! You're fucking pathetic for a king! You're such a crybaby!"

Tyler stopped fighting against Jack's grip. He straithened up, shooting a death glare at the way stronger soldier.

"You forgot who I am." he said dangerously slow. "I'm the king and you're just a subject!"

Jack blinked and let go of Tyler's wrists. "I…I'm sorry, your majesty." he mumbled and lowered his gaze.

"You should be." Tyler hissed. "And you know what? You're disgusting. You like hurting other people and that's just…pathetic. I'm not pathetic, you are."

Jack stared at the floor, he seemed hurt, but when he looked up, his face was like a mask.

"Alright." he said. "Alright. You don't want me here – I will leave. But remember, I was the only one by your side, king Tyler." he spat the name like it was acid. "And I'm not gonna save your ass."

He grabbed his sword and threw it on the ground. It landed in front of Tyler's feet, reflecting the sunlight. Tyler didn't even blink. He watched how Jack glared at him, turned and left the castle.

 


	21. Anora

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished most of my exams, so I have more time left to work on this story. I hated not to update.

Pete hissed. Patrick kept slipping from his arms. He was small, but after carrying him for a long time, he felt like a stone in Pete's arms. Josh noticed how Pete struggled with him, so he stopped.

"I can carry him for a while." he offered.

Pete shook his head. "No, you don't have to. He's my boyfriend, not yours."

Josh rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid. He's my friend and I can carry him. You need a break. I don't want to have to carry both of you later."

Pete placed the boy in Josh's arms with a sigh of relief. "Be careful." he said softly. Josh nodded. Patrick's head rested on his shoulder. His face was pale and blood leaked through the bandages.

"We have to get help soon." Pete said concerned. Josh agreed.

"Gee, where do you want to go?" Brendon asked. "We can't walk much longer. We need to rest."

Gerard pointed east. "We're almost there."

The others followed him a few more minutes. Finally, they reached a house. It was small, with a garden with herbs and some vegetables. Behind the house was a meadow with two horses. In the garden was a small well.

The gang stopped.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Dallon whispered. Gerard nodded with a smile. "Yes it is. You will see."

He walked towards the house and gestured the others to follow him. He knocked at the door. After a few seconds, the door opened and the gang stared at an old woman. Josh recognized her. He saw her at the market once.

The woman didn't seem surprised by the boys standing in front of her. She smiled. "Good afternoon, Gerard."

Gerard nodded. "Good afternoon, Anora. We need your help."

The woman nodded and took a step back. "Come in."

The boys walked through the door. Anora closed the door and gestured them to follow her into the living room. She pointed at a table. "You can lay him down on here." she said.

Josh set Patrick down carefully. The boy groaned quietly, but didn't open his eyes.

"I know we're probably wanted, Anora, but we really need your help." Gerard said.

Anora nodded. "I understand, but I need to take care of him first." She pointed at Patrick. "Gerard, I need hot water."

Gerard grabbed a kettle from a shelf and left the room.

"You." The old woman pointed at Dallon. "Get me some bandages from the closet. And you" she pointed at Brendon "get me the bottle with the lady's mantle liquid."

Brendon stared at her. "In the kitchen." she said impatiently. Brendon hurried to get what she wanted.

"And you" she glared at Josh, Frank and Pete. "are going to help me."

 

                                                        -----

 

Tyler walked to his room, crying like a baby. He couldn't believe what happened. He regretted his decision. Guilt filled his heart. He wanted to turn back time, but he couldn't.

He was alone and hurt and he had made a terrible mistake.

Tyler cried until all his tears were gone. His voice was hoarse from all sobbing and screaming.

He sat on the floor, his back pressed against the wooden frame of his bed and stared at the wall. Fuck the kingsize bed and the excellent food and the marble statues and all the other luxury, he didn't want to be king anymore.

He just wanted to be a normal, happy boy with friends who didn't betray him and a boyfriend who didn't lie and kiss another guy.

Tyler made a decision. A dangerous one, but it was the right one. He'd go to the camp of the gang and apologize. He was sure they'd kill him for sending Jack who hurt their friend and destroyed their home. Tyler cringed when he thought what could have happened. He pictured Josh lying on the grass, skull smashed, eyes lifeless, bones broken.

Tyler sobbed. He didn't want this to happen. And he was going to apologize and take the responsability for his decision, even if it meant his death.

 

                                               -----

 

Anora had treated Patrick, who was sleeping in her bed right. Now, she was cooking food for the boys.

"Is he going to be okay?" Pete asked with a shaking voice.

Anora sighed and stopped her actions for a moment. "I don't know. I hope he does. The stab wound is deep, but I think he can make it."

The boys sat around the table and stared down.

"He's strong." Anora tried to cheer them up.

Pete teared up. The thought of losing Patrick hurt him. Frank placed a hand on his shoulder. "Anora's right. He's strong. You need to think positive." He said softly. Pete swallowed. "He has to make it. I can't live without him."

They kept silent for a few minutes. Gerard sighed.

"Anora, tell me, are we wanted?"

Anora shook her head. "No, not yet. Tell me, what happened?"

Brendon rubbed his eyes. "That's a long story. The king hates us. He wants to see us dead."

Josh flinched and bit on his lip. He didn't want to think about Tyler.

"You'll be safe here." Anora answered.

 

                                               -----

 

Tyler reached the clearing. It was already getting dark and his heart was racing. He was scared, but he was ready to face death. His hands trembled. The clearing was still filled with smoke. The wooden cabin was just a ruin, consisting of charred wood.

Tyler walked slowly to the cabin. Only a few small flames were still there, but the big fire was gone. Tyler stared the flames. He expected to get a knife stabbed into his back any time, but nothing happened. He turned slowly. The clearing was empty.

Tyler cleared his throat. "Josh?" His voice was shaky and sounded insecure. He took a deep breath. "Josh? Dallon? B-Brendon?"

Nohing happened. The gang was gone. Tyler stumbled across the clearing, to the oak, but he was alone.

"They're gone." Tyler whispered. "They're gone. I can't apologize. I will never see them again. Josh…I will never see him again!" he sobbed.

Tyler fell down on his knees and buried his face in his hands. "Josh! Josh! Please…d-don't leave me! I n-need you…" he sobbed.

But Josh was gone.

 

                                               -----

 

Josh sat on a stone in Anora's garden and watched the moon. It was cold, but he didn't care. A figure approached him and Dallon sat down next to him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Watching the moon and the stars." Josh answered.

"You're shivering." Dallon said. "You should go inside."

Josh shook his head. "I don't want to." He pointed at a star. "Do you see that star? The bright one?"

Dallon nodded. He noticed the tears in Josh's eyes.

"Tyler gave it to me." Josh said quietly. Tears started to stream down his face. "He said he would love me. I believed him."

Dallon placed an arm around Josh's shoulders.

"Dallon, I m-miss him. I miss him so much. I love him." Josh sobbed.

Dallon nodded and looked at the moon. "I know, Josh. I know."


	22. Forgiveness?

Patrick blinked a few times and opened his eyes. His shoulder hurted and he cried out in pain when he tried to sit up. Patrick breathed slowly for a few minutes. He looked around. He was in a small room, in a bed. A closet, a chair and a table filled the room. The chair stood next to the bed, a glass of water on it. Patrick was thirsty, so he grabbed the glass shakily. Some water splashed on the sheets when he drank a sip. The door opened and someone took the glass from his hands. "Be careful, Patrick. I'll help you."

Pete knelt down next to the bed and helped Patrick to drink some more water. He set the glass down on the table, sat down on the chair and grabbed Patrick's hand.

"How are you?" he asked softly.

Patrick shrugged and groaned. "My shoulder…"

"Do you remember what happened?" Pete asked.

Patrick closed his eyes. "The soldier…he…he hit me and he kicked me…and he had a dagger…fire…they-" he opened his eyes. "They set the cabin on fire, didn't they?"

Pete nodded sadly. "Our home is destroyed."

Patrick stared at the ceiling. "Why am I alive?"

"Gerard thinks it was a warning." Pete swallowed hardly. "A warning from the king to tell us that he wants to see us dead."

"Fuck." Patrick mumbled.

"I…I thought I'd lose you." Pete said and teared up. "I thought you'd die."

Patrick squeezed his hand weakly. "I'm alive."

Pete took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. Yes, you are."

"Where are we?" Patrick asked.

"At our friend's, her name is Anora. We hide here. Gerard knows her for a long time."

"Are we safe?"

Pete smiled. "Yes, we're safe."

 

                                               -----

 

Josh couldn't take it any longer. He felt like dying. He needed to see Tyler. He needed to hear his voice, to feel his touch.

He was lovesick and it drove him crazy. His heart was beating painful, every single beat reminded him of Tyler. He thought about all the times Tyler kissed him and he was sure his heart was broken. And there was only one way to fix it. Only one person who could fix it.

Josh knew, he'd have to see Tyler, or else he'd die. Die because of a broken heart.

 

                                               -----

 

Brendon was happy. Sure, Patrick was hurt and they had to hide, but he had Dallon by his side. And Dallon was all Brendon ever wanted.

"I'm so glad Patrick is better." Brendon said and snuggled closer to Dallon. The two boys sat on the fence around the meadow and watched the horses. "Do you think it was the right decision to leave the camp?" Brendon asked.

Dallon played with Brendon's hair and sighed. "Well…honestly, I don't know. I mean, it was your home, but I think Gerard's right. It was too dangerous for us to stay. I knew Tyler since we were little kids, you know? I was always the older one and we grew up together. He was my best friend and I was his, but now…I don't know what's going on with him. He's hurt, yes, but I've never seen him so angry and hateful in my life. He's a completely different person. I just hope the 'old Tyler' comes back soon. He's not himself right now."

"Josh is hurt, too." Brendon whispered.

Dallon nodded. "Yeah, I know. And I don't think he can live without Tyler much longer."

Brendon sat up. "What do you mean by that?"

Dallon shrugged. "I think they're meant for each other."

Brendon shook his head angrily. "No! I know Josh, he's nice and he doesn't deserve a prick like Tyler. He's a fucking asshole. I just wish he was dead!"

Dallon looked at him, shock written all over his face. "Brendon, I understand that you're angry, but Tyler is not a bad person."

Brendon jumped from the fence to the ground. "Are you fucking blind, Dallon? Look what he did to Josh! He's heartbroken! And look at Patrick. He nearly died! And you say, Tyler is not a bad person!? He doesn't deserve to live. _He_ should get executed."

"Brendon, sometimes you have to forgive someone." Dallon said irritated. "I bet Josh would forgive him."

"Yeah, that's because he's in love with this fuckin'…this fuckin'…this sad excuse of a king! He's blind, but I'm not. I know what Tyler did and I won't forgive him. He deserves to suffer like we did." Brendon spat.

"Brendon, darling, calm down…" Dallon said, but Brendon just shook his head and walked away.

 

                                               -----

 

Tyler lied in his bed, and hid under a blanket. His eyes were red and puffy and he was still shaking. When he returned to the castle last night, he went to bed and he didn't plan on getting up. He just wanted to stay in bed and die. If he couldn't have Josh in his life, his life was worthless. It was a terrible place without Josh and Tyler just wanted him by his side. He just wanted to be happy, what was wrong with that?

Somebody knocked at the door.

"Don't come in." Tyler mumbled, but the door opened anyways. The maid entered the room and set a plate and a glass down on a table.

"Here's some food for you." she said softly.

Tyler sat up and stared at her. "I'm not hungry." He knew it was obvious that he had cried, due to his messy hair and the tears on his cheeks.

"You have to stay hydrated, your majesty." the maid responded.

Tyler shook his head. "No, I just want to be alone, please."

"But…" the maid protested.

Tyler sighed angrily. "Go away." he said. "I don't want your company right now."

The maid squinted her eyes. "Are you crying over the thief?" she asked.

Tyler gasped. "That's none of your business!"

"It is!" the maid said. "I'm glad he's gone, he's pathetic."

"That's enough!" Tyler said angrily. He stood up, grabbed the maid's wrist and dragged her out of the room.

"Don't talk about Josh like this ever again!" he spat and slammed the door. He crawled back into his bed and closed his eyes. He just wanted to die.

 

                                               -----

 

"How's Patrick?" Brendon asked.

Pete shrugged. "He's still weak and tired, but he'll get better." He bit on his lip and looked at his friend. "It…it hurts to see him suffer like this. I just want to kill the king for what he did to my boy." he said angrily.

Brendon smiled, but it was an unhappy smile. "I know. Dallon says we have to forgive him, but I can't. I can't. He knew Jack, he knew he was gonna kill us all. He wanted to see us dead. He probably still wants. He's responsable for the things that happened."

Pete nodded. "Yes. He hurt our friend and he destroyed our home. I…I want revenge."

"Me too." Brendon released a long breath. "We will make him suffer. Tonight. Are you with me?"

Pete grabbed Brendon's wrist. "Yes. He deserves it. Tonight, he'll suffer."


	23. Anora's advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not very happy with this chapter, I rewrote and deleted it a few times, but it's still not what I want, ugh
> 
> Sorry it's short today, but I need more time to figure things out.

"How's Patrick?" Josh asked.

Anora smiled at him. "He's sleeping. Don't worry about him."

Josh nodded and sat down at the table next to her. Anora was writing some letters. Her hand was trembling and she wrote slowly. Josh watched her.

"I can help you to write the letters." he offered.

Anora glanced at him and shook her head. "Thank you, but I can do it. I'm old, not sick."

She kept writing and Josh stared at the wall. It was afternoon. The others were outside.

"You should go before it is too dark." Anora broke the silence after a few minutes.

Josh looked at her. "What?" he asked confused.

Anora gave him a slight smile. "You miss him and you want to see him, right?"

Josh sighed. He kept silent and stared at his hands. He wasn't going to lie to her. "How do you know what I want to do?" he asked finally.

Anora chuckled. "I heard about the king being happy with you around. And I saw how lovesick you are. He loves you."

Josh laughed dryly. "Not anymore, I guess."

"Are you sure about that?" she asked softly.

Josh ran a hand through his curly hair. "I…I don't know. I thought he loved me, but he thinks I don't love him back. He wanted to execute me."

Anora stopped writing and looked at him. "I know Tyler. I was a friend of his mother. I saw him grow up. He's not a bad person, he's just hurt."

"You think I should talk to him?"

Anora took Josh's hands in hers. "You need to fight for your love. I'm sure he'll forgive you. I know he did some terrible things, but if you truly love him, you can forgive him and you can start new."

Josh bit on his lip. "What if he hates me? What if he kills me as soon as I enter the castle?"

Anora squeezed his hands. "Destiny. You have to trust your love, Joshua. It's the only way to figure things out." She stopped for a few seconds and stared at their hands. "You should hurry, maybe it's too late when you reach the castle." she added.

Josh stared at her. "What do you mean by that?"

Anora shrugged. "Go, Joshua." she mumbled. "And be careful…"

Josh stood up and nodded at her, then he left the house. Anora watched him leaving.

"I hope you're faster than yor friends." she whispered.

 


	24. Pete's revenge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tyler is praying in this chapter. I know he's religious and I thought it fitted well in this chapter. If it makes you uncomfortable, you can skip this part of the story, it's not important for the plot.

Pete and Brendon walked through the forest surrouned by silence. Both boys thought about what they would do as soon as they would reach the castle, but they didn't talk. The only noise was the wind and the small river.

 

Pete didn't care much about the king, to be honest, until he attacked his boyfriend. Getting hurt himself was one thing – his boyfriend getting hurt was another. He once promised Patrick to take care of him, to protect him from all the pain in the world. And he failed, he failed, but it wasn't his fault, it was the fault of the king, who thought he was better than everybody else. Pete only had one desire: to show the king that he was in fact not better. That he was human Person and that he hurt another person on purpose (although it had been Jack who stabbed Patrick) and that he couldn't fuck with the gang like that.

Pete just wanted this feud to end, but he knew it was hopeless. No way they could live together in peace in this kingdom.

And now it was too late. He could never forgive Tyler for what he did. He would have to suffer like Patrick did when he was beaten up and stabbed and called names.

A part of Pete told him to turn and walk back to Anora's house, but he ignored it and kept walking.

 

Brendon, who was usually loud and talkative, walked silent along the river. Sure, he was a dick sometimes, but he was a good friend. A very loyal one. Although Josh became a part of the gang after Brendon had spent years with the others, they became very good friends soon. Best friends, maybe. At least Brendon thought they were best friends, that's why he was so hurt, when Josh prefered to stay with Tyler.

Even if the gang didn't believe it, Brendon forgave Tyler for taking his friend away from him. He knew what love was like, honestly, he would have left the gang to stay with Dallon, too, but it was never an option. Now, he had Dallon and he knew he should be grateful for it, instead of planning to hurt another person, but he couldn't. It wasn't about Brendon himself, he knew the things the gang did were illegal and he knew they would get arrested or worse for it if this fucking useless soldiers would find them, it was about his friends. Brendon was loyal, and loyality meant defending your friends and taking revenge when somebody hurt them.

Three reasons why Brendon went with Pete. Number one: Tyler wanted to kill Josh. Anger boiled up in him, when he thought about the things Josh told him, sobbing and crying, and when Brendon saw Josh hurt and heartbroken like this, he knew he couldn't let Tyler get away with it.

Number two: Tyler hurt Patrick. He barely survived and the moment when he thought Patrick was dead was the most terrible experience Brendon ever had.

And reason number three: plain and simple, Pete asked him for his help. And Brendon helped his friends when they needed him.

 

They reached the castle at sunset. The sky was glowing in red, pink and orange and both boys stopped for a few minutes to watch the sun disappearing behind the mountains, just enjoying the view, a last peaceful moment before they entered the secret passage.

 

                                               -----

 

Josh stopped when the last sunlight filled the forest. The sun coloured the trees red and yellow, made them look like they were on fire. The light took Josh's breath away. It was beautiful. He stared at the sun shining through the trees. Another day ended, another day without Tyler, another day full of love and hate and pain.

Maybe Josh was dead the next day. Maybe it was his last sunset. He enjoyed it, tried to memorize every hint of colour, every shade of red.

Slowly, the sun disappeared and left Josh in the twilight of the forest. He took a deep breath and started to walk. He didn't knew what he expected in the castle, but he was no longer afraid. He would apologize to Tyler and that was all he could do.

 

                                               -----

 

Dallon entered the house and saw Anora sorting different herbes. He stopped and cleared his throat. Anora looked up.

"Dallon." she said with a smile.

"Have you seen Brendon?" he asked.

Anora sighed, but didn't answer.

"Anora, what's wrong? Where is Brendon?" Dallon asked nervously. Anora tapped on the chair next to her. "Take a seat."

Dallon bit his lip and sat down. Anora kept silent for a moment. "Dallon…" she spoke finally. "I know you're a smart, young man. And you know how love works. Love means to protect the one you love from everything bad in the world, but if you fail…you want revenge. You want to make the one suffer who hurt your love. The key is forgiveness. It seems easy, but it is actually very difficult. What I want to say by that...your friends made a desicion and I won't judge if it is the right or the wrong one. They're still young, way to young to be hurt like this and they need to figure out how to cope with this pain."

Dallon thought about her words for a long time. "They want to hurt Tyler, right?" he asked finally, his voice heavy with sadness.

Anora nodded. "Yes. And Josh is there to beg for Tyler's forgiveness. Tonight, they will collide."

Dallon sighed. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked.

Anora smiled and put her hand on Dallon's arm. "Of course. There's always something you can do. You can make your own desicion now, but…maybe you should trust your friends. I'm sure they can decide what's right and what's wrong."

Dallon ran a hand through his hair. "I will think about it."

 

                                               -----

 

Tyler knelt on the floor, hands folded, eyes closed. The sun set and it was getting darker and darker.

Tyler stayed silent for a few minutes. Then, he cleared his throat.

"Father…I know…I know I have made mistakes…I hurt and pushed away the ones I love and I'm sorry. I am sorry for the things that I did…but I need your help. I don't want to be the person I am. I want to be a better person. I feel my sin and I beg you to take it away from me, please. I need you, father, please lead me. Make me a better person. I'm so alone right now."

He started to cry and his voice was shaking. "Please…please help me. Help me…"

 

                                               -----

 

It was silent in the castle. Pete followed Brendon through the halls to the king's room.

"Hold on." Brendon whispered. Pete stopped and held his breath. They heard footsteps. A soldier walked down the hall. He disappeared in a room.

Brendon and Pete creeped through a few rooms without seeing a person.

"Is the castle always that empty?" Pete whispered.

Brendon furrowed his brows. "No. I don't know why it seems so empty. We have to be careful when we reach the king's room. He has a bodyguard, Jack, the soldier who hurt Patrick."

Pete gritted his teeth. "I hope he's there, I want to kill him for what he did."

"He just followed the orders." Brendon hissed. "He's a fucking asshole, but Tyler is the one who needs to suffer."

Pete shook his head and sighed.

"We're almost there." Brendon whispered and pointed at a door down the hall. "This one is the king's room. I can't see Jack, though."

"Maybe he's in the room?" Pete said. Brendon shrugged. "We'll see when we're in there. Do you have the knife?"

Pete nodded and grinned.

"Alright." Brendon said. "Let's go."

 

                                               -----

 

Tyler was still kneeling on the floor when the door opened and two boys entered the room. Tyler stared at them, frozen in shock when he recognized Brendon and Pete, two members of the gang.

The boys stopped and looked around in the room.

"No bodyguard. He's alone. Perfect." Pete stated.

"Where's Jack?" Brendon asked.

"He's gone…I…I don't know where he his." Tyler stammered.

"Good." Brendon said with an evil grin and locked the door. Then, the two boys walked to Tyler and towered over him. Brendon crossed his arms while Pete played with the knife in his hands.

"Good evening, Tyler." Brendon scoffed. "It's nice to meet you."

"What do you want?" Tyler said and wanted to stand up, but Brendon pushed him down on his knees.

"What do we want?" Brendon asked Pete. "I don't know. Tell me, Pete." he said with false ignorance.

Pete ignored Brendon's acting.

"You hurt my boyfriend, Tyler." he spat. "And you will have to suffer."

Tyler stared at them, he glanced at the knife in Pete's hands and swallowed. "Listen, I'm sorry what happened. I didn't want to hurt anybody. I told Jack-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Brendon yelled. "We don't want to hear your fucking lies!"

"It's the truth!" Tyler said desperately. "I swear!"

"Liar!" Pete hissed and slapped him. Tyler teared up. His cheek hurted. "Stop this now and I promise, I won't arrest you." he said with as much confidence as he had in this moment, but his voice was high-pitched and didn't sound very intimidating.

Brendon chuckled dryly. "Are you kidding me? Do you really think you can get away with what you did?"

"I nearly lost my boyfriend!" Pete shouted. "I nearly lost the love of my life because of you!"

Tyler bit on his lip. "I lost my love, too."

"Yeah, but it was your fault." Brendon said coldly. "You broke Josh's heart, you know? He loves you, he loves you more than everbody else and you just pushed him away and hurt him. He's broken. He's not happy anymore, I haven't seen him smile since he left the castle. He left us, he left his friends to be with you and what did you do? Yelled terrible things at him and wanted to kill him. You wanted to fucking kill him! You're disgusting. You make me sick."

Tyler stood up, but Brendon pushed him down on his back and sat down on his stomach. Tyler tried to push him off, but Brendon grabbed his hands and pinned them over his head.

Tyler started to cry. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, please let me go!"

"Fuck you." Brendon hissed. "And shut the fuck up or we will kill you without hesitating."

Tyler sobbed and looked in the other's eyes which were dark and full of hate. He was terrified, his heart was racing. Tyler knew, the boys were dangerous and he was alone, to weak to defend himself. He wanted to cry for help but Pete knelt down next to him and pressed a hand on his mouth.

Tyler stared at him, wide-eyed, shaking and crying. Pete traced the blade of the knife along Tyler's throat.

"Do you want to know how it feels?" he whispered. "To get a dagger stabbed into your shoulder? Do you want to feel the fear and the pain Patrick felt?"

Tyler closed his eyes. He knew it was too late to beg for forgiveness. The knife cut through the soft skin of his neck, blood dripped on the floor.

"Get ready." Pete whispered.


	25. I can't forgive you

 Josh walked through the castle, not caring if he was seen by anyone, but the castle was empty and silent. It seemed like everybody stayed in their rooms. He was calm, ready to face Tyler.

When he walked down a hall, he bumped into the maid. She stopped and stared at him.

"What are you doing here!?" she hissed.

"I'm here to see Tyler." Josh answered irriated.

"Why? I helped you to escape. He will kill you! Are you crazy?"

Josh pushed her aside. "I don't care. I need to talk to him."

"No." The maid grabbed his sleeve. "Go back to your friends."

Josh shook her off and continued walking to Tyler's room. "Leave me alone."

"Fine!" The maid yelled after him. "I hope he kills you as soon as you enter his room!"

Josh ignored her and walked to Tyler's room where he stopped in front of the door. He took a deep breath and knocked.

 

                                                        -----

 

Pete stared at Brendon when they heard the knock at the door.

"Who's knockin'?" Pete whispered.

Brendon shrugged. "I don't know. I locked the door, we're safe."

The person knocked again. Tyler moved and tried to push Brendon off again. Brendon pressed his elbow on Tyler's throat.

_"Tyler? Are you in there?"_

The two boys stared at each other in shock.

"Fuck!" Brendon hissed. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

_"Tyler?"_

Tyler took a deep breath. "Josh!" he screamed, but Brendon hit his throat and Tyler couldn't breathe. Brendon cursed under his breath while Pete sat motionless next to him.

_"Tyler? Are you okay?"_

Josh tried to open the door, but it was locked.

_"Tyler, open the door, please!"_

Tyler gasped for breath. Josh. He was here.

Tyler pushed the shocked Brendon off of him and crawled to the door, but Brendon grabbed his leg and dragged him backwards. Tyler gasped for breath, grabbed the leg of a chair and the chair fell over.

 

                                                        -----

 

Josh heard a rumble in the room. He tried to open the door again, but it was still locked. Josh got scared. Something was happening inside. He had heard Tyler scream his name.

Josh cursed under his breath and he pushed against the door. The door didn't move an inch. Josh looked around and saw a heavy, metal candle stand standing in the hall. He grabbed it and hit it against the door. After the third try, the wood split and after a few more hits, he could open the door.

Josh opened the door and stared shocked at his friends who pressed Tyler down on the floor.

Josh stared at the knife in Pete's hand, Tyler's tear-streaked face and the blood on his neck.

"What are you doing?" Josh whispered. "Brendon, what are you doing?"

"Josh, help me!" Tyler cried.

Josh felt anger boil up in him. He grabbed Brendon's shoulder and pushed him away from Tyler. Then, he slapped the knife out of Pete's hand.

"Get away from him!" Josh growled.

Pete stumbled backwards. Josh knelt down next to Tyler and cupped his face with his hands.

"Tyler? Are you okay?" he whispered.

The boy nodded, tears still streaming over his face. "Yes…" he whimpered.

Josh hugged him and pulled him in his lap carefully. Tyler buried his face in his chest and sobbed. Josh rubbed his back and tried to calm him down. Right now, Tyler seemed so small and fragile and Josh held his thin frame close to his chest.

Josh glared at Brendon and Pete. "What did you do?" he asked angrily. "Look at him, he's scared."

Pete avoided Josh's gaze. Brendon furrowed his brows. "He deserved it."

"What?" Josh yelled. Tyler gasped and Josh lowered his voice. "Why do you think he deserved it?"

"He hurt Patrick. He hurt you." Brendon said angrily.

Josh couldn't believe it. "And you think hurting him brings you justice?"

Pete shrugged. "Patrick suffered. He should suffer, too."

Josh laughed dryly. "You want revenge, but look at you, you're not better than Jack."

Brendon and Pete stared on the ground. Slowly, they realized what they wanted to do.

"I can't forgive him." Brendon said, but his voice shook. "He hurt so many people."

"Do really want to kill him?" Josh asked softly. "You don't have to forgive him, but, Brendon, look at him." Josh looked at the small boy in his arms and smiled softly. "You never killed a man, Brendon. Are you sure you can live with it?"

Brendon bit his lip.

"And, Pete. What happened to Patrick is terrible, but it was _Jack_ who did it, not Tyler. You blame the wrong person."

"He gave the order." Pete said quietly.

Tyler shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Suddenly, Brendon and Pete didn't seem so intimidating than before. They were just two boys, broken and hurt like himself and Tyler even felt a bit sorry for them. "I trusted Jack. I thought he would arrest you, but I didn't know he would hurt you. I made a mistake and I'm sorry. Jack is gone, I dismissed him when he told me about Patrick. He was proud of it…he was disgusting. I know you can't forgive me, but I want you to know that I'm truly sorry. And I hope…I hope _you_ can forgive me, Josh."

Tyler looked at Josh, his brown eyes filled with tears. "I know you don't love me, but I love you and I swear I will never hurt you again. I just…" he sobbed. "I just hope you're happy with Brendon. I just want you to be happy."

"Brendon?" Josh asked confused.

"Yeah, he's your boyfriend, right?" Tyler answered. "I know you love him and-"

"He's not my boyfriend." Josh interrupted him. "I don't know why you think that. He's my friend, my best friend, but I love you, only you."

Tyler stared at him. "But…I thought you just acted…"

"He didn't." Brendon said with a sad smile. "Josh loves you, Tyler. It was a misunderstanding. The things you heard when you were eavesdropping weren't true. He's not my boyfriend. I was joking. Dallon is my boyfriend."

"Dallon?" Tyler gasped.

Brendon nodded. "Yeah…and he will be very disappointed in me when he hears what we wanted to do. He's part of the gang now. He says I should forgive you. But…I can't. I can't. Not now." Brendon sighed.

Tyler nodded sadly. "I know."

"What about you, Pete?" Josh asked.

Pete hesitated. "I don't know…but I know Patrick would forgive you probably, so…I guess we're even."

"Thank you." Tyler whispered.

Pete smiled. "I know we're enemies, Tyler. We're criminals and I understand that you want to arrest us, but I just want to end this feud. I hope that's possible one day, but right now...we're still enemies."

Tyler nodded. "I hope so, too."

Pete and Brendon stood up hesitantly. "I guess we better go now." Brendon said. "Josh?"

"I stay with Tyler. I have to talk to him."

Brendon nodded. Both boys mumbled a quiet 'sorry' and left the room. Tyler sighed and closed his eyes. Josh stood up and carried him to the bed where he laid him down carefully.

"You're bleeding." Josh said. He grabbed a cloth from Tyler's closet, sat down on the bed next to him and wiped the blood on his neck away. Tyler groaned quietly.

"Did I hurt you?" Josh asked concerned.

Tyler shook his head. "I'm so confused. I can't believe what happened." He teared up again. "I was so afraid, Josh. I thought they would kill me."

"Sshh." Josh said and petted his hair. "Noone's gonna hurt you. I'm here. Actually, I came to apologize."

"You don't have to apologize." Tyler said tiredly. "I'm the one who needs to apologize. I'm sorry, Josh."

Josh smiled. "It's okay. Maybe we can start new?"

Tyler nodded. Josh bent down and kissed him slowly. When he pulled away, he noticed Tyler was crying.

"Tyler, what's wrong?" he asked.

Tyler cried and laughed at the same time. "I still can't believe it. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too."

Tyler stared into Josh's eyes. Josh smiled and lied down next to him. He wrapped his arms around Tyler's body and Tyler rested his head on Josh's chest.

"Josh?" Tyler asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

Tyler swallowed. "Do you love me?"

Josh sighed. "I never stopped loving you. You can trust me, Tyler. I love you."

Tyler smiled. His life wasn't perfect and the situation in his kingdom was diffcult, but he had Josh. And Josh made everything better.


	26. Ryan's appearance

Brendon and Pete reached Anora's house in the middle of the night. They knew the forest, so they didn't get lost.

"Do you think it was the right desicion to leave?" Brendon asked thoughtfully, walking beside Pete.

Pete sighed. "I don't know, Brendon. I think it's on Josh and Patrick to decide if they want to forgive him. I mean, at least we scared him, I think that's enough. It seems like he understood that he made a mistake. Let's hope it won't happen again."

"We're still enemies." Brendon said.

Pete nodded. "Yes, we are, but maybe we have a ceasefire right now. I hope we can get along in the future."

Brendon laughed. "Stop dreaming, Wentz. We're criminals."

Pete shrugged. "I have hope."

They saw the house through the trees. A figure was sittng on the fence next to the house. It was Dallon and when he noticed Brendon and Pete, he jumped down and ran towards them.

"Brendon." he said breathless.

Brendon bit on his lip. "He's okay, Dallon. Tyler is okay."

Dallon closed his eyes and released a breath. "Thank God!"

He placed a shaky hand on Brendon's shoulder. "I thought…I was afraid you'd hurt him."

Brendon avoided his gaze. "We wanted, but…there was Josh and he stopped us…and we realized that revenge isn't the solution."

"I'm relieved to hear that." Dallon said. "I trusted in you, Brendon."

Brendon looked up and Dallon saw the tears in his eyes. "I almost did something terrible." he whispered.

"But you didn't and that's way more important than what you planned." Dallon said softly. He pulled Brendon close to his chest. "I'm proud of you for listening to your heart." he whispered. "I'm so proud to have a boyfriend like you."

Brendon sobbed. "I love you, Dallon, you know that?"

Dallon smiled and pulled him closer. "Pete…Patrick is awake. He's worried about you." he said.

Pete nodded and walked quickly towards the house. He opened the door, careful not to wake Gerard and Frank who were sleeping in the living room, fingers intertwined. He creeped to Patrick's room and opened the door slowly. Patrick sat upright in the bed, eyes open and he expected Pete. Pete closed the door and sat down on the chair next to Patrick's bed.

Pete grabbed Patrick's hand and they kept sitting like this for a few minutes.

"I forgive him." Patrick said.

Pete smiled. "I knew you would do that. That's why he's okay."

"Is Josh with him?" Patrick asked.

Pete nodded. "Yeah, I think they have a lot to talk about."

Patrick sighed.

"How are you?" Pete asked concerned. Patrick smiled slightly. "My shoulder still hurts, but it will heal."

"I'm glad you feel better." Pete said.

"Lie down with me." Patrick mumbled.

"Sure, honey." Pete said and lied down next to him. Patrick positioned himself so he his shoulder didn't hurt and smiled.

"We should sleep." Pete said. "Goodnight, Trick."

"Goodnight, Pete."

 

                                               -----

 

Ryan was up early. It was still dark when he walked down to the gate of his castle. "Are you ready?" he asked the soldier on his horse next to the carriage.

"Yes, your majesty." the soldier answered.

Ryan climbed into the carriage and sat down. He sighed and rested his hand on his sword. It would take a few hours to get to Tyler's castle.

He knew he wouldn't be welcomed, so he had fifteen soldier who accompanied him. His men were trained well, they knew how to fight and Ryan knew he was safe with them around. Ryan himself was a very good swordsman, he was tall and quick.

He hoped Tyler was smart enough to give the west part of the forest to him. Ryan wouldn't hesitate to declare war.

Ryan sighed again and closed his eyes. He would try to get some sleep before he had to face Tyler.

 

                                               -----

 

Tyler woke up in Josh's arm and that was the best thing that could happen to him. He didn't move, he didn't want to wake Josh up. His friend (boyfriend?) snorted slighty and Tyler closed his eyes and listened to his deep breaths. After an hour or so, Josh woke up and yawned.

"Hey." Tyler whispered.

Josh smiled and gave him a quick kiss. "Hey."

Tyler took a deep breath. "Josh? Do you want tob e my boyfriend again?"

Josh didn't hesitate when he answered. "Yes, I do."

Tyler smiled happily and snuggled closer to Josh. Josh chuckled and ran a hand through Tyler's fluffy hair.

"We need to stand up, sugar. I'm sure you have some things to do."

Tyler rolled his eyes. "It can wait."

"I don't think so." Josh said softly. "We can cuddle later."

Tyler sighed and rubbed his eyes. "You're so mean." he pouted. Josh just grinned and pushed him off the bed. Tyler fell down with a surprised squirm.

Josh stood up and helped him to get up.

"Time for work, your majesty."

"Don't call me your majesty." Tyler protested.

"But you're the king." Josh said.

"Well, then you're my queen." Tyler said simply and wrapped his arms around Josh's waist. He kissed Josh's neck and bit his skin softly.

"Gosh, Tyler, you're such a tease." Josh groaned. Tyler grinned. He knew he was Josh's soft spot.

 

                                               ------

 

"Tyler." Josh said.

Tyler looked upp from his desk. Josh stood by the window and stared at the yard. Tyler stood up and walked over to him. He looked through the window and he could swear his heart stopped beating for second.

"Tyler, who's that?" Josh asked. He noticed how tensed Tyler seemed and furrowed his brows.

"Ryan." Tyler answered shortly. His heart started to race.

"Ryan?" Josh repeated disbelieving. "Your enemy?"

"Yep." Tyler said and tried not to show how shocked he was.

"What is he doing here?"

"He's here to cause trouble." Tyler answered morosely. "I expected him."

He took a deep breath and grabbed his cloak. "Let's go, I want to _welcome_ him."

Josh followed him down the hall to the yard.

There, Ryan stepped out of the carriage. Tyler crossed the yard.

"Ryan." He said.

Ryan grinned when he noticed Tyler.

"Tyler, nice to meet you again." he said with a smile and bowed down way too much to mock Tyler.

"I can't say that." Tyler said, his teeth gritted. "What do you want?"

"Oh, you know excately what I want." Ryan said amused.

"I see, you were to much of a coward to come alone." Tyler spat and gestured to the soldiers.

"Better safe than sorry." Ryan shrugged. "Let's go inside."

"This is _my_ castle." Tyler growled.

Ryan grinned. "I know. And I said I want to go inside. The journey was long, were are your manners?"

Tyler rolled his eyes. "Alright. Let's get inside, I want to get rid of you as soon as possible."

"Polite as always." Ryan scoffed when he followed Tyler inside.


	27. The Ultimatum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> very short today, sorry, I couldn't write more today, I wanted to work on my other fic

Ryan followed Tyler and Josh into the castle. Tyler lead them to a room Josh had never been before. They sat down on three big armchairs.  
The door opened and the maid stepped in, a  tray with a jar and three goblets on it. She set the tray down on a table and gave them each a goblet filled with red wine. She threw an angry glance at Josh when she left the room.  
Tyler sipped on his drink and grimaced. He hated wine.  
Ryan lounged in the armchair and grinned. "Tell me, Tyler, who's this? Is he your amusement?" Josh gasped at his words.  
"He's my boyfriend. He's not my toy." Tyler growled.  
"Boyfriend." Ryan repeated slowly. "Yeah, I get that. He's attractive."  
Josh blushed when Ryan winked at him.  
"Don't listen to him, Josh." Tyler said. "He's just playing games."  
Ryan sighed dramatically. "You're such a killjoy. Let's talk about business."  
He glanced at Josh. "Maybe we should talk in private."  
"No." Tyler answered simply.  
Ryan sighed. "Alright. You know my demand."  
"I won't give you the forest." Tyler answered. Ryan stared coldly at him. "Don't be stupid, Tyler. You know you can't win a war."  
"Well, I won't give it to you." Tyler hissed.  
Ryan stood up and took a deep breath. "Alright. You have time until tomorrow evening to think about it. I'll stay here. Don't be a fucking retard, Tyler." Ryan said angrily and stormed through the door.


	28. The duell

"What do you want to do?" Josh asked.

Tyler shrugged. "I don't know." It was noon. Seven hours to the sunset. Seven hours to make a desicion. He thought about Ryan's demand the whole time.

Tyler didn't even care about the gang right now. Ryan was way more important. The whole time Ryan was in the castle, he had been complaining about the food or his room, or he kept glancing at Josh and kept hitting on him, not because he was attracted to him, just because he knew it would make Tyler mad. And it worked. Tyler was had been irritated and close to put Ryan into his dungeon, but he knew he had to stay calm.

Ryan was a dangerous enemy and he was very powerful, so Tyler just gritted his teeth when Ryan pinched Josh's ass and Tyler used all his sass to make him stop. Josh just blushed when Ryan complimented him. Tyler had rolled his eyes and said he'd go to bed. He had grabbed Josh's wrist and had dragged him from the table to his bedroom.

Now, one day later, Tyler was sitting in front of his desk, head in his hands, while Josh massaged his tensed shoulders.

"You need to make a desicion, Ty." Josh said.

Tyler sighed. "I know, but it's not that easy, Josh. If I say no, he's going to declare war. _War!_ And if I say yes, then he knows I'm weak and that I'm prone to be blackmailed. As a result, he would know that he can do anything he wants."

Josh pressed a kiss on his neck. "You can do it, Tyler, I'm sure. You'll make the right desicion."

Tyler sighed again. "I hope so."

 

                                               -----

 

Frank, Brendon, Dallon, Pete and Patrick sat around the table in Anora's house. The old woman was at the market.

Gerard was pacing up and down, arms crossed behind his back.

"You think we have a ceasefire with Tyler right now, Pete?" he asked.

Pete nodded. "I think so. I feel like Tyler doesn't want this feud either."

Gerard ran a hand through his black hair. "Well, we can't stay here forever. We need a new home, a new hiding place."

"We have to wait until Patrick's well enough." Pete said.

"I'm fine, Pete. I get better every day." Patrick said with a smile.

"Pete's right. We should stay here a bit longer, until we know what Tyler wants to do next. I think he won't try to arrest us now, but he won't tolerate more robberies." Dallon chimed in.

Gerard stopped and looked at the gang. "Alright. We will wait until we know what happens next."

 

                                                        -----

 

The sun was setting. Tyler stood at the window and waited until the sun had disappeared behind the mountains. He glanced at Josh who had fallen asleep on the bed. He was so beautiful that Tyler teared up. He didn't deserve him. Why did Josh stay with him?

Tyler didn't know. He just knew he had made his desicion and it was time to tell Ryan.

He walked quietly to the bed and pressed a soft kiss on Josh's dark curls. Then, he grabbed his black cloak and left the room. He closed the door carefully and started to take the stairs up to the top of the keep.

Ryan wanted to meet up there. Tyler felt more like he was the subject and Ryan the king.

He walked slowly, carrying a torch to illuminate the stairs. After a few minutes, he reached the end of the staircase and stepped out on the platform of the keep. Ryan stood at the rail, looking down on the forest. He was alone.

It was windy and Tyler tightened his grip around the torch. He grabbed his cloak. Ryan turned when he heard Tyler's footsteps.

Tyler just wanted to get this thing over and done with. He took a deep breath.

"Did you make a desicion?" Ryan asked calmly.

Tyler nodded. "Yes. I won't give you the part of the kingdom you were asking for."

Ryan sucked in a breath. He looked intimidating, his face glowing in the light of the flames. "You won't?"

Tyler straightened up. "I won't."

Ryan didn't answer for a long moment. "You know what to expect, Tyler." he spoke finally.

"War."

Ryan kept silent and turned to look down over the rail. "I didn't think you'd have the guts to say no."

"A part of me doesn't want a war, but I am a king. I need to defend my kingdom." Tyler explained.

"True." Ryan answered thoughtfully. "You know what? I'm impressed. I can…" he pondered for a moment. "I can offer you a deal."

Tyler swallowed. "A deal?"

"You know war means the death of many of your soldiers. I know you don't want to send them to fight, knowing that they'll never return. I offer you a deal. It's only me and you. One fight against each other. It's only fair. If I win, I get the part of the kingdom I asked for. If you win, I will never come back to your kingdom."

Tyler hesitated.

"Tyler, I didn't think you were a coward. Think about it. If you have any honour left, you should agree."

"Alright." Tyler answered hoarsely. "I just want to avoid a war."

Ryan smirked. "Tomorrow. Only you and me. You should clean your sword, Tyler."

"You aren't afraid to lose, are you?" Tyler asked, his voice shook slightly.

"I won't lose." Ryan said with a grin. "Like in the old days." he whispered, pushed Tyler aside and left the platform.

Tyler stood there, shivering. Ryan didn't say it out loud, but there was one old rule for a fight between two kings, a forgotten rule: The loser would lose his life.

 

                                               -----

 

Anora returned late at night. She woke the gang.

"I have news."

"I want to sleep…I'm sure it's not _that_ important…" Brendon mumbled.

Dallon shook him. "C'mon, Brendon, get up."

"It is important." Anora said. "Tomorrow, there's a duell between Tyler and Ryan."

"What?!" Frank asked and sat up.

"I heard someone in the village talking about it. Get up and I'll explain you more." Anora said.

 

                                               -----

 

Tyler couldn't sleep. He sat on the bed next to Josh, who was still sleeping.

He hadn't closed the curtains and the moonlight filled the room. Tyler stared at the sword in his hands. It was his own sword, silver metal with a red ruby incorporated into the hilt. Tyler ran his fingers along the shiny blade. He knew, he wasn't a good fighter. Ryan was way better, he was taller than Tyler and an he was an expert swordsman.

Tyler knew, he would lose. He couldn't win. He would lose and he would die, but he would fight and at least he'd die an honourable death. It broke Tyler's heart to leave Josh behind, but he was a king and it was his duty.

 

                                               -----

 

"Are you insane?" Josh asked.

Tyler flexed his arms and gritted his teeth. "I have to do it, Josh." He tried a few moves with the sword. It was heavy, way to heavy for Tyler and he knew he wasn't strong enough to fight long.

"Tyler, please, don't do it. What if you get hurt?" Josh didn't know about the rule. He thought the worst thing that could happen was to get hurt.

"It's okay." Tyler tried to calm him down. "It's just a duell. Maybe I get hurt, but it'll be alright. You know the rules: Disarry the opponent and you win."

He hoped Josh didn't notice his shivering. Josh didn't, but he still seemed worried.

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"I can take it." Tyler said. "It's a fair deal. I don't want to have war in my kingdom."

Josh sighed.

Tyler gave him a (weak) smile. "Don't worry, Josh. Whatever happens, I have you, right? You will be by my side and it'll be okay?" Tyler was close to tears.

"Don't cry, Tyler." Josh mumbled and hugged him. "I'll be by your side."

Tyler released a shaky breath. "Thank you. I love you, Josh."

"I love you, too."

They stayed like this for a few minutes and Josh held Tyler close to his chest.

"It's time." Tyler whispered. They pulled apart and Tyler grabbed the sword and they left the room.

 

                                               -----

 

The duell was on a field close to the castle. Every villager was there, they all wanted to see the duell.

 _You don't know that it'll be the last time that you see me alive._ Tyler thought bitterly.

Ryan was already there, he wore a metal cuirass. Tyler wore nothing than his regular clothes and leather gloves.

Ryan also wore makeup, he had painted his face red and black. Tyler swallowed nervously. He saw Ryan's soldiers standing around the place where they'd fight.

Tyler flinched when somebody placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Gerard.

The gang leader nodded encouragingly. "Good luck, Tyler."

Tyler took a deep breath. "Thank you, Gerard." He was truly thankful.

The other squeezed his shoulder and walked back to his friends. They were all there. Tyler saw Pete, Frank and Patrick with his bandaged shoulder, Brendon who glared at him and Dallon who smiled and gave him thumbs up. Tyler felt some kind of strange relief when he saw them, although he should hate them.

"You should go to your friends, Josh." he said softly.

"Are you alright?" Josh asked concerned.

Tyler nodded slowly. "I'm fine."

Josh kissed him (Tyler closed his eyes and enjoyed every single moment of his very last kiss) and smiled. "I know you can do it, Tyler."

"Thank you, Josh." Tyler whispered. Josh smiled at him and walked to the others.

Tyler stepped through the circle of soldiers (his and Ryan's). They seperated the audience from the kings.

Tyler met Ryan's eyes. He smiled and winked at him. Tyler swallowed hardly. Anora stepped between them. "This is a duell between the king Tyler Joseph and George Ryan Ross III." she announced with a raised voice. She looked at them. "Do you know the rules?"

Tyler and Ryan exchanged a glance. Tyler nodded. Ryan nodded too and licked his lips. Tyler realized that Anora knew the old rule.

"Are you ready?" she asked. Both nodded again. Anora took a step back. "Let the duell begin!"

Tyler grabbed his sword. He avoided Ryan's sword swipe and raised his arm, but Ryan was too fast and Tyler missed him. He took a step aside. Ryan grinned and stepped closer. He Tyler grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands and repelled his attack. The hit of his sword was strong and Tyler stumbled backwards. Ryan attacked again and Tyler tried to avoid him, but Ryan's sword cut into his arm. Tyler supressed a groan and tried to attack Ryan, but he failed. Blood dripped down his arm.

Tyler tried to attack Ryan multiple times, but he was too slow. Ryan was smiling the entire time and Tyler knew the other waited until he was too tired. After a few minutes, Tyler was totally exhausted. He wasn't used to fight with a sword and it grew heavier and heavier in his hands. Ryan noticed it and attacked him. His sword hit Tyler's with all his strength and the sword slipped through Tyler's hands. Tyler gasped and tried to pick it up, but Ryan pressed the point of his sword against Tyler's chest. Tyler stumbled backwards and fell.

 _It's over._ he thought and he was terribly afarid. He was afraid to die.

Ryan towered over him and raised his arm with the sword to strike the final blow. Tyler squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath.

"STOP!"

Tyler opened his eyes when he heard Josh's voice. Josh tried to squeeze through the soldiers to get into the circle. The soldiers grabbed him.

"What are you doing?" Josh yelled terrified.

Ryan furrowed his brows. "This is how a duell between kings works, stupid boy." he said loudly. "The winner kills the loser."

"NO!" Tyler flinched when he heard the pain and the panic in Josh's voice.

"Josh, Ryan's right. This is the rule." Anora said sadly.

Josh shook his head in fear, pushed the soldiers aside and stumbled into the circle. He picked Tyler's sword up.

"You won't kill him!" he whispered. "I will take his place."

"What?" Ryan asked irritated. "Go away, boy, I need to finish this."

"No." Josh shook his head rapidly. "Fight against me. I swore to protect him."

"Alright." Ryan growled angrily. He ran towards Josh.

"Josh!" Tyler screamed in panic and tried to run to him, but Frank and Gerard grabbed him and held him back. "No!" Tyler cried. "Ryan's gonna kill him!"

"He can do it, Tyler." Frank said.

Josh avoided Ryan's attack and fought back. He was fast and agile and he was on a par with him. Tyler watched them in horror.

He prayed that Josh would survive. Ryan got angrier every minute. He realized Josh was a good swordsman, good enough to keep up with him.

After one more attack, Josh finally pushed Ryan down. Ryan fell and his sword slipped through his fingers. Josh knelt over him, pressing the sharp blade of Tyler's sword against his throat.

"The winner kills the loser." Josh growled and showed an evil grin.

 


	29. The end

"Josh, don't!" Tyler screamed.  
Josh hesitated. He looked down on Ryan. He could kill him. Ryan wanted to kill Tyler.  
Josh heard Tyler crying. He didn't look up. His mind was running wild. A part of him wanted to do it, to slit Ryan's throat. It was legal. It was the rule. Ryan knew he'd die if he lost.   
But Josh heard Tyler crying and repeating his name. Tyler cried because of him.  
  
                                -----  
  
"I need to go to him! I have to make him stop!" Tyler cried.  
"Tyler, it's his desicion!" Frank said.  
"Are you crazy?!" Tyler hissed and pushed them away. He ran to Josh and knelt down next to him.  
"Josh, stop it, please!" he begged.  
Josh kept staring at Ryan. Tyler snatched it from him. Josh didn't react. Tyler put his hands on his shoulder and lead him out of the circle.   
Ryan stood up and dusted himself down. He walked slowly to Tyler and Josh.  
Josh turned and glared at him.  
"I appreciate your mercy." he said slowly, voice unemotional.  
Josh furrowed his brows. "You wanted to kill my boyfriend." He hesitated for a second and then punched Ryan.  
Ryan stumbled backwards and cupped his bleeding nose with his hands. Brendon laughed loudly. "That punch was perfect, Josh."  
Josh grinned. "Thanks."  
Ryan wiped the blood away. "Fuck you, Josh. But you won, which means I have to leave."  
"At least you're alive." Gerard said with a smirk.  
Ryan threw a death glare at him. He turned to Tyler. "I knew you wouldn't be able to keep up with me, but... I lost and it was only fair, so I will leave your kingdom now and the forest is yours."  
Tyler nodded shortly. Ryan grabbed his sword and left the field, his soldiers followed him.   
"We should celebrate." Brendon said excitedly.  
"Celebrate? Why?" Tyler asked confused.  
"'Cause your boyfriend just won a duell, idiot." Brendon answered and rolled his eyes.  
Tyler shrugged. "Alright."  
"But don't forget: We're still enemies." Gerard said.  
"Maybe we can find a way to get along?"  
 Tyler added with a crooked grin.  
Gerard smiled. "Maybe."   
  
                               -----  
  
Later that night, when the celebration was over and Josh and Tyler were lying in the bed together, Tyler thought about everything that happened in the last few weeks.  
"I'm glad you didn't kill Ryan." he mumbled, head resting on Josh's chest.  
"Me too. I don't want to be a murderer." Josh answered and ran a hand through Tyler's soft hair.  
"What do you want to do about the gang?" he asked.  
Tyler sighed. "I think we can find a solution..." he kept quiet for a moment. "Josh? Do you want to stay with me?"  
Josh pressed a kiss on Tyler's head. "I want to stay with you for the rest of my life." he whispered softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the last chapter. It was the longest fic I've ever written and it was so much fun.  
> I hope you enjoyed it and thanks to everybody who sticked with this fic till the end. :)


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